4. Safety reps, safety committees and taking action
[ch 4: page 57]Key changes and developments since last year
• recent case law developments have confirmed that whistleblowers must disclose factual information rather than mere allegations, and that individual co-workers can be held personally liable for future losses arising from blowing the whistle;
• the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has welcomed agreement on new European-wide standards to protect whistleblowers;
• the Ministry of Justice has confirmed it is looking into a replacement employment tribunal fee scheme;
• a plan to modernise the employment tribunal system has been published;
• the Unite general union has announced an “historic” million-pound-plus settlement for compensating blacklisted construction workers and setting up a training fund to help them back into work.