By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : There is no law to protect whistle-blowers in Singapore but a few companies have taken the lead to encourage workers to come forward and report any breaches.
One of them, OCBC Bank, has even made a whistle-blowing course compulsory for all employees.
Help is only an e-mail or phone-call away if Edward Chin wants to report wrongdoing in his company; reporting is extended to the CEO and chairman of the board.
Mr Chin is one of 8,000 employees who have gone through the whistle-blowing programme started at OCBC Bank last year.
The half-day training course outlines how and where workers can report a breach, and the kind of protection they get if they do so.
Said Mr Chin, who works in credit risk management, "I deal with suppliers and vendors and consultants. If I spot irregularities in the process, under the whistle-blowing programme, I would not be afraid of escalating my concerns accordingly. In fact, we have been told that there have been instances of reports of whistle-blowing and they have been followed and investigated accordingly, without reprisals to any of the people who were whistle-blowers."
Financial breaches aside, employees can also blow the whistle on other issues like unfair treatment and sexual harassment.
And even though there is no legislation to protect whistle-blowers in Singapore, the company has put in place a set of measures to do so.
Said Gilbert Kohnke, chief risk officer at OCBC Bank, "The head of Human Resources for OCBC has a role as protector and in that role they can ensure that any individuals who come forward with an observation are Â… not mistreated by the process. If there was an issue that comes up, they have their right to appeal to the audit committee of the board and make their representations known to them."
Since the programme's launch, the bank says some cases have been reported.
They were investigated thoroughly and disciplinary action meted out.
The bank says, all reports, even anonymous, ones are investigated; names of both the whistle-blower and the employee under investigation are kept confidential. - CNA /ct
everyone know whistle blowing. just that whether after blowing, does it serve us well? if blowing gona cost your job because the company is under investigation, probe what for? as long as we not involve in the scam.
OCBC has clearly demonstrated that their CEO and management will tolerate whistle blower as this will bring about greater transparency and transparency in corporate governance.
There was nothing to fear the passing of whistle blower protection laws.
Yet the government was not convinced and did not want to pass the whistle blower laws despite the need to protect whistle blowers in the aftermath of NKF.
It is sad our political leadership has failed in holding themselves above the fray and shown their capability in governing the country objectively with accountability and high moral and ethical standards.
