Protected Disclosures
Protection against penalisation
The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 provides certain protections if you report information about potential wrongdoing.
Firstly, any behaviour or action that disadvantages or penalises you for speaking up about a wrongdoing in the workplace is prohibited.
Secondly, specific remedies are available should you suffer any form of unfair treatment such as a transfer of duty, demotion, intimidation, harassment, reduction in wages or hours or dismissal. These types of actions are regarded as penalisation.
If you believe you have been penalised for making a protected disclosure you may bring a claim before the Workplace Relations Commission. You may also bring a claim for injunctive relief in the Circuit Court.
The relevant time limits that apply for bringing a penalisation claim are:
- to the Workplace Relations Commission, within 6 months of the penalisation
- to the Circuit Court, within 21 days of last instance of penalisation.
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