Here the reasonableness test is expanded, while no thought is given to the reasonableness of the employer. We have pursued this exercise in our discussion of cases in our own membership and the answer, we regret, is that an enactment of this Bill almost certainly would not have helped them. In nearly every case there was a failure of existing legislation which is already de jure stronger than the Bill, but which de facto suffered and suffers from problems of implementation and accessibility. Whatever bill is drafted with the purpose of protecting workers who conscientiously make public interest disclosures it must allow for the award of compensation against the offending employer without a ceiling. This would follow the model of existing anti-discriminatory legislation.
Whistleblowers are conscientious and courageous workers who are of great benefit to any society.
They deserve far better special legislative protection than the Bill affords .