The Waserman law of 21.03.2022 on whistleblowers modified the list of prohibited grounds for discrimination in both the Labor Code (Article L1132-1) and the Penal Code (Art 225-1), to include whistleblowers.
Reminder:
the status of whistleblower, created by the "Sapin II" law of December 9, 2016, applies to a natural person who reports or discloses, in good faith and without direct financial consideration, information relating to a crime, an offence, a threat or harm to the general interest, a violation or attempted concealment of a violation of a standard of European Union or international law, law or regulation.
What impact will this law have from September 1, 2022?
- the employer isprohibited from taking any discriminatory measure or decision against an employee based on the status of whistleblower, facilitator or person in contact with a whistleblower.
- L’article 225-1 du code pénal fait partie des articles qui doivent être affichés ou diffusés par tout moyen dans l’entreprise. Comme la loi a modifié l’article 225-1 du code pénal, cela implique pour l’entreprise de mettre à jour les informations délivrées à ses salariés (soit par voie d’affichage obligatoire, soit par tout moyen).
- Cette même loi oblige également l’employeur à intégrer dans son règlement intérieur un article rappelant l’existence du dispositif de protection des lanceurs d’alerte.
- The company must draw up a Charter on whistle-blowers outlining the procedure to be followed for receiving a report from the latter:
- Who to report to
- In what form
- How soon
- etc
We are awaiting a decree that will provide guarantees on the rules of confidentiality, impartiality, etc., for whistleblowers.
