Press conference on strengthened protection for whistleblowers

On 20th May 2021, Minister of Labor Eva Nordmark held a press conference to talk about the forthcoming law on strengthened protection for whistleblowers.

The bill that is presented is largely in accordance with the EU directive and the Swedish investigation that forms the basis for the law. The messages emphasized in the press conference are:

• The ”Meddelarskyddet” that already exists today is not affected, the new law will complement this, and replace the whistleblower law that already exists today.

• The new law means that the protection is now extended to apply to all employers, in both public and private sectors.

• It becomes clear to employers that they have an obligation to make it easy for their employees to report and to handle the reports that come in via internal whistleblower channels, otherwise they break the law.

The difference from the current whistleblower law is described as an extension from previously including only protection for the whistleblower to also include a clear process on how whistleblower reports should be handled.

It is not clear what the concept of clear process will mean. Feedback, follow-up and contact with the whistleblower are actions that is mentioned. The requirement for confidentiality regarding the whistleblower is also mentioned. But there is no mention of the requirement for an independent and autonomous investigation. Something that has been clear in the directive and the Swedish investigation.

View the press conference here