Whistle Blower Protection Act

The Whistleblower Protection Act ("HinSchG") is a law that came into force in Germany in July 2023 and grants certain rights and protective measures for people who report grievances, violations of laws or rules in companies or organisations as whistleblowers. The law is intended to help ensure that whistleblowers are better protected and can report their information without fear of reprisals.

Not every report of a breach of legal provisions is covered by the HinSchG. However, the scope of protection regulated under Section 2 HinSchG is very broad. Whistleblowers enjoy the protection of the HinSchG if they report violations of the following regulations:

• Offences against criminal provisions: This includes any criminal offence under German law.
• Violations that are punishable by a fine (i.e. administrative offences) if the violated norm serves to protect life, limb or health or to protect the rights of employees or their representative bodies .
• In addition, all offences against federal and state legislation that were adopted to implement certain European regulations as well as offences against directly applicable EU legislation in a variety of different areas are included.
• Statements by civil servants that constitute a breach of the duty to comply with the constitution.

The complete Whistleblower Protection Act can be found online in the digital Federal Law Gazette.

If you would like to report one of the above violations to the Groß-Gerau District Municipal Jobcenter, please complete the form below. You can make the report anonymously without providing your contact details. Please note that we will only be able to respond to your report if you leave your contact details.