Abstract
In Romania, the labour legislation applicable in private sector does not expressly regulate the protection of whistleblowers. The only normative act in this field is the Law no 571/2004 regarding the protection of the staff of the public authorities, public institutions and other units that notifies breaches of the law. Therefore, the only area where – in consensus between the public opinion and legal regulations – whistleblowing is encouraged is the public sector, where it focuses on denouncing corruption.
The paper aims to analyse the legal provisions in force and their consequences on legal practice, and to propose some steps to take further on in order to ensure wider and more efficient protection of whistleblowers in Romania.
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Notes
- 1.
B. Martin, W. Rifkin (2004), The Dynamics of Employee Dissent: Whistleblowers and Organizational Jiu-Jitsu, “Public Organization Review”, vol. 4, no 3, p. 221.
- 2.
P.B. Jubb (1999), Whistle blowing: A restrictive definition and interpretation, “Journal of Business Ethics”, vol. 21, p. 78.
- 3.
J.R. Macey, 2007, Getting the Word Out About Fraud: A Theoretical Analysis of Whistleblowing and Insider Trading, Faculty Scholarship Series. Paper 1383, p. 1903, available online at www.digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/fss_papers/1383, Accessed on the 1st October 2013.
- 4.
Published in the Romanian Official Gazette no. 1214 of 17th December 2004.
- 5.
R. Ogarca (2009) Whistle Blowing In Romania, “The Young Economists Journal”, vol. 1, no 13, p. 108.
- 6.
V. Alistar, East-European practice in implementing whistleblowers’ protection public policies – Romania’s case, p. 6, available online at www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/?pdf=CDL-UDT%282011%29015-e, Accessed on 23rd September 2013.
- 7.
Bucur and Toma v. Romania, no. 40238/02, 8th January 2013.
- 8.
See below, section “Public sector”.
- 9.
The High Court of Cassation and Justice, Administrative and Fiscal Contentious Section, Decision no 4743/2008, www.legeaz.net/spete-contencios-inalta-curte-iccj-2008/decizia-4743-2008.
- 10.
See Recommendation CM/Rec (2014)7 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the protection of whistleblowers, Explanatory memorandum, para. 31: “It is the de facto working relationship of the whistleblower, rather than his or her specific legal status (such as employee) that gives a person privileged access to knowledge about the threat or harm to the public interest”.
- 11.
Or, even in a higher degree, the persons in a para-subordinated relation. Idem, para. 45: “In certain contexts and within an appropriate legal framework, member States might also wish to extend protection to consultants, free-lance and self-employed persons, and sub-contractors; the underlying principle of recommending protection to whistleblowers being their position of economic vulnerability vis-à-vis the person on whom they depend for work”.
- 12.
See also Ogarca, ibid., p. 113.
- 13.
M.B. Curtis (2006) Whistleblower Mechanism: A Study of the Perceptions of Users and Responders, The IIA Research Foundation, p. 2.
- 14.
Transparency International – Study on the Romanian National Integrity System (2012) available online at www.transparency.org.ro/politici_si_studii/studii/sistemul_national_de_integritate/NIS2012.pdf, p. 309, Accessed on the 12th May 2014.
- 15.
See Alistar, ibid., p. 8.
- 16.
I.T. Stefanescu (2014) Tratat teoretic şi practic de dreptul muncii, Bucuresti, Universul Juridic Publishing House, p.772.
- 17.
Other law systems, such as the French one, have stipulated for a long time the employees’ right to be assisted by a lawyer during preliminary disciplinary procedures.
- 18.
See 1198 Meeting, 30 April 2014, Recommendation CM/Rec(2014)7 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the protection of whistleblowers, Explanatory memorandum, para. 8.
- 19.
M. Bouville (2007) Whistle-Blowing and Morality, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 81, no 3, p. 584.
- 20.
C. Grant (2002), Whistle Blowers – saints of secular culture, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 39, no. 4, p. 391).
- 21.
See also D. Balica, Avertizorii, (încă) un instrument de luptă împotriva corupției nefolosit. Status quo, oportunități și posibile măsuri (2011), available online at www.cogitus.ro/administratie/despre-cum-omul-poate-sa-sfinteasca-locul-avertizorii-oportunitati-si-posibile-masuri, Accessed on 8th September 2013.
- 22.
J. Varelius (2009) Is Whistle-blowing Compatible with Employee Loyalty?, “Journal of Business Ethics”, vol. 85, no 2, p. 271.
- 23.
W. Vandekerckhove, M.S. Ronald Commers (2004), Whistle Blowing and Rational Loyalty, “Journal of Business Ethics”, vol. 53, no 1, p. 223.
- 24.
In the US, for instance, a National Whistleblower Centre was set up, a non-profit group dedicated to helping whistleblowers in their efforts ‘to improve environmental protection, nuclear safety, and government and corporate accountability’. See Macey, ibid., p. 1902.
- 25.
D. Lewis, (2013), Resolving Whistleblowing Disputes in the Public Interest: Is Tribunal Adjudecation the Best that Can be Offered?, “Industrial Law Journal”, vol. 42, no 1, p. 37.
Bibliography
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Varelius J (2009) Is Whistle-blowing Compatible with Employee Loyalty?, “Journal of Business Ethics”, vol. 85, no 2, p. 263–276
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Dimitriu, R. (2016). Romania: First Steps to Whistleblowers’ Protection. In: Thüsing, G., Forst, G. (eds) Whistleblowing - A Comparative Study. Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25577-4_13
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