Alongside the parental leave consultation (left), views are also being sought about whistleblowing and zero hours contracts here in the Isle of Man.

The Department for Enterprise is seeking views on a number of short term changes to improve whistleblowing legislation, while also consulting on proposals for longer-term, more far reaching changes to the whistleblowing framework.

In December 2020, the Tynwald Select Committee on Whistleblowing published its findings.

Though the initial focus of the committee’s inquiry was the government’s whistleblowing policy, it also took evidence more widely on the framework for whistleblowing in the island in general.

The report suggested that the current legislative framework is ‘not fit for purpose’.

Following a debate on the report, Tynwald agreed a number of recommendations.

Since the report was published, further high profile whistleblowing cases - such as Dr Rosalind Ranson’s employment tribunal - have highlighted the need to make changes to the law.

The Department for Enterprise proposes that the Manx legislation regarding protected disclosures should be amended to include a public interest test, and that this change should be included in a Bill to be introduced to Tynwald later in 2022.

This consultation seeks views on those changes.

Elsewhere, another consultation is seeking views ‘on a number of measures intended to address issues faced by those who are on zero hours contracts or otherwise not in regular employment’.

In 2019, the Chief Minister’s Zero Hours Contracts Committee report was published.

The report found that there is no evidence of widespread systematic abuse of zero hours contracts, but it still made several recommendations.

Both consultations can be found at consult.gov.im