The Ministry of Labour wants to shield employees who report cases of corruption

MadridThe Ministry of Labour wants to protect employees who report possible cases of corruption in the company or institution where they work. Specifically, the ministry led by Yolanda Díaz (Sumar) plans to bring to this Tuesday's cabinet meeting a draft bill that amends the Workers' Statute to declare the dismissal of an employee who has reported a possible case of corruption as a reprisal null and void, according to ministry sources.

This rule, driven by Labour, will run in parallel with the anti-corruption plan that the Spanish government announced in the wake of the Cerdán case, and that in February of this year it took a first step forward. The Council of Ministers then gave its first approval to the draft organic law on public integrity, which, among other things, strengthens controls on donations to political parties and also increases the penalty of disqualification and prohibition from participating in public procurement for companies involved in corruption cases. At the same time, it provides for modifications in the fight against money laundering.

The ministry also wants the future law – this Tuesday it will just take a first step with approval in a first reading in the Council of Ministers – to protect the closest relatives of whistleblowers from possible reprisals. The preliminary draft of the law introduces changes in various precepts of the Workers' Statute in order to ensure that those who report corrupt practices in their workplace do not suffer reprisals, such as dismissal, but also not threats or harassment situations. Sources from the Ministry of Labor have explained that the aim is that public reporting does not entail negative consequences for the worker and that the grounds for dismissal nullity are expressly expanded.