Yorkshire cricket racism whistleblower Azeem Rafiq leads calls to force firms to investigate concerns

Whistleblowers led by the cricketer who revealed the Yorkshire racism scandal Azeem Rafiq have called on ministers to force firms to investigate employees’ concerns.

They want an amendment to Labour’s upcoming Employment Rights Bill that would significantly strengthen the power of whistleblowing.

The group warns that “far too often the only reaction is to shoot the messenger”.

In a letter to The Independent, they say: “Whistleblowing has been the common thread linking the recent public inquiries into Infected Blood, the Grenfell Tower fire and the Post Office Scandal. But whistleblowing concerns fell on deaf ears in each of these cases.”

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When it comes to everything from patient safety to sexual harassment “everyone in the workplace should feel confident that when they speak up, action will follow”.

But they add: “Our current law places no legal obligation on employers to investigate whistleblowing concerns.”

They also cite the whistleblowing charity, Protect, which says 40 per cent of callers to their whistleblowing advice line “say that when they speak up, they are ignored; their concerns disappear into a black hole”.

They add: “This government is pledging to make a historic impact on employment rights– the opportunity to make a step change in how whistleblowing is addressed in the UK is now.”

The letter has been signed by Mr Rafiq, who has spoken of how "institutional racism" at the club left him close to taking his own life.

Last year Yorkshire was fined £400,000 over the scandal and its failure to act over allegations.

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Other signatories include Michael Woodford, the man who exposed the Olympus accounting fraud, and Linda Fairhall, a senior district nurse in County Durham who won more than £460,000 in compensation as she was unfairly dismissed for being a whistleblower.

Elizabeth Gardiner, chief executive of Protect, said: “Whistleblowers in their thousands are speaking up every year to protect the safety of their colleagues and the public, prevent fraud, and ensure that laws are followed. We owe it to them to make sure their employers are taking action, following up on their concerns and bringing wrongdoing in the workplace to an end.

“Good employers have nothing to fear – they already know that whistleblowing is good for business, allowing them to spot risks early and take action. But bad employers ignore and victimise whistleblowers and risks go unchecked. There needs to be a legal requirement and a duty on employers to investigate concerns raised by whistleblowers.

“This Bill is the chance for the Government to modernise whistleblowers’ rights, raising standards and saving costs to employers and to the economy.”

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “We’re committed to making workplace rights fit for the modern workplace and that’s why the Employment Rights Bill will strengthen whistleblowing protections, including women who report sexual harassment at work.

“We encourage workers to speak up about wrongdoings to their employer or a regulator and we will ensure they’re protected if they’ve been dismissed or treated unfairly for doing so.”