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The European Whistleblowing Directive: What You Should Know-1

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Until now, there has been no baseline regime for the protection of whistleblowers in the European Union (“EU”). Member state legislation in this area is largely fragmented and, in many cases, does not provide much (if any) protection for whistleblowers. Presently, only 10 out of the 28 member states have comprehensive legislation protecting whistleblowers, while the remaining 18 member states only offer limited protection within specific sectors.

The European Whistleblowing Directive: What You Should Know

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The European Whistleblowing Directive: What You Should Know

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Annabel is a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP and co-Managing Partner of the London office. As a member of our renowned global data privacy team, Annabel specializes in employee data protection and data crisis management. She works across a variety of sectors, including technology, retail, and financial services, and frequently manages multi-jurisdictional advice for international clients. Her practice includes advice on:<ul><li>cross-border labor and employment matters</li><li>employee litigation</li><li>data privacy compliance management</li><li>data security breach management</li><li>internal and regulatory investigations</li></ul>Annabel regularly helps senior management and HR executives with the “people” aspects of takeovers, restructuring projects, business and share sales, and outsourcings. She also advises employers in relation to sensitive claims, such as unlawful discrimination, equal pay, and whistleblowing. Annabel also advises on team moves.She supports her clients on all aspects of General Data Protection Regulation compliance and regularly advises organizations facing ICO enforcement action. She has developed particular specialties in complex areas, such as the collection and use of data relating to criminal offenses and the application of data protection law to insolvency practitioners.As an experienced litigator with experience in helping clients defend group litigation, Annabel helps clients develop their strategy for responding to regulatory action and court claims relating to the use of employee and customer personal data. She regularly designs and presents employment and data protection law training and updates to senior managers and HR executives and is involved in preparing responses to UK government consultations.In addition, Annabel is qualified to practice in the British Virgin Islands, where she spent three years advising on cross border commercial litigation and insolvency matters, including high value board and shareholder disputes, freezing orders, and third-party disclosure orders.

Annabel Gillham

Managing Partner, London

<div class="videoWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><iframe title="Meet Hanno Timner, Employment and Labor Partner" class="sticky-video" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9MMNgAQ7HWs?rel=0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="1" frameborder="0" title="iframe"></iframe></div>For more than two decades, Hanno has advised and represented leading domestic and international corporations in a wide variety of industries, including technology, consumer products, automotive, and infrastructure, on all data protection matters and employment law issues and disputes.Hanno’s practice focuses on the labor law ramifications of corporate restructurings, the acquisition of German firms, and negotiations with employee representatives for the reconciliation of interests and/or social plans, as well as on the employment of management board members, managing directors, and chief executives. He frequently represents clients in complex employment litigation in all German employment courts, including the Federal Labor Court.His second key focus is advising companies with respect to their complex data protection compliance projects and the implementation of compliance systems and corporate policies as required under the GDPR, as well as whistleblowing systems. Hanno regularly represents clients in matters concerning data protection authorities and in data protection litigation. He has extensive experience responding to data breaches. His many clients praise him as "an excellent attorney" who provides "practical and legally sound advice on high-value data protection issues" and who is "available if and when needed." He also offers "thoughtful, practical and totally actionable advice that is understandable to both in-house counsel and corporate staff" and his “work product is consistently of the highest caliber” (Legal 500 Deutschland 2023).Hanno is head of Morrison Foerster’s Employment and Labor Group in Germany and is an acknowledged Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht (Specialist in Labor and Employment Law). He also served as Berlin managing partner from 2013 to 2017. He frequently publishes articles on employment and privacy matters.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Comprehensive advice of TDK and EPCOS regarding their joint venture with Qualcomm requiring the transfer of more than 4,500 employees in 13 countries.</li><li>Legal advice to leading producers of semiconductors regarding merger in Germany (including negotiations with works councils regarding operational changes in German businesses).</li><li>Comprehensive employment advice to an international manufacturer of construction material on a joint venture (including negotiations with trade union and works council).</li><li>Legal advice to Gucci Germany, Yves Saint Laurent Germany and Bottega Veneta in all labor law matters and disputes.</li><li>Comprehensive advice to Sky Deutschland with respect to management board contracts.</li><li>Advised Carbone Lorraine (automotive supplier) on the restructuring of the German subsidiary (company pay agreement, social benefit plan, and reconciliation of inherent interests).</li><li>Ongoing advice to a leading internet sales platform on all labor law issues and in all labor law disputes.</li><li>Extensive advice to a leading global satellite broadcaster with respect to internal investigations in Germany, the Netherlands and the USA.</li><li>Drafting of user general terms and conditions, and the privacy policy for the company website of Fox International Channels.</li><li>Advises Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (Berlin public transit company - BVG) on the introduction of a company pension plan.</li><li>Legal consultation of Bertelsmann Group in the implementation of a global compliance system, including a whistleblowing system.</li><li>Advice to Anschutz Entertainment Group on data transfer agreements and the migration of customer data.</li><li>Data protection advice to Primacom on the implementation of IPv6 addresses.</li><li>Provided advice to PubliGroupe SA in relation to a joint venture (Zanox) with Axel Springer.</li><li>Advice to a German firm in the paper industry on the conducting of an internal investigation prior to an investigation by the German Federal Cartel Authority.</li><li>Comprehensive advice to an international paper manufacturer on the introduction of a compliance system in the EMEA.</li></ul>

Seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten berät und vertritt Hanno Timner führende nationale und internationale Mandanten im Hinblick auf sämtliche Angelegenheiten des Datenschutzes sowie zu allen arbeitsrechtlichen Streitigkeiten und Fragestellungen. Einen besonderen Fokus hat er hierbei auf Unternehmen der Technologie-, Konsumgüter-, Infrastruktur- und Automobilindustrie.Schwerpunktmäßig berät Hanno Timner zu den arbeitsrechtlichen Auswirkungen von Restrukturierungen sowie dem Erwerb deutscher Unternehmen. Er vertritt seine Mandanten laufend in Interessenausgleichs- und Sozialplanverhandlungen mit Arbeitnehmervertretern und verfügt über langjährige, umfangreiche Erfahrung in der Beratung zur Beschäftigung von Vorständen, Geschäftsführern und leitenden Angestellten. Er vertritt seine Mandanten regelmäßig in komplexen arbeitsrechtlichen Streitigkeiten vor allen deutschen Arbeitsgerichten, einschließlich des Bundesarbeitsgerichts.Ebenso berät Hanno Timner zu komplexen Datenschutzprojekten, zur Umsetzung der erforderlichen Compliance-Systeme und Unternehmensrichtlinien im Rahmen der DSGVO sowie zu Whistleblowing-Systemen. Er vertritt seine Mandanten regelmäßig gegenüber Datenschutzbehörden und in gerichtlichen Verfahren. Darüber hinaus verfügt er über umfassende Erfahrung im Umgang mit Datenschutzverletzungen.Hanno Timner leitet die Praxisgruppe Arbeitsrecht von Morrison Foerster in Deutschland und ist Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht. Von 2013 bis 2017 war er zudem Managing Partner des deutschen Büros. Er veröffentlicht regelmäßig zu den Themen Arbeitsrecht und Datenschutz. Seine Mandanten schätzen ihn als „hervorragenden Anwalt“, der „durchdachte, praktische und absolut umsetzbare Ratschläge gibt, die sowohl für Unternehmensjuristen als auch für Unternehmensmitarbeiter verständlich sind“ und „verfügbar ist, wenn und wann er gebraucht wird.“ Er gibt „praxisnahe und rechtlich fundierte Beratung zu hochwertigen Datenschutzthemen“ und liefert konsequent „Arbeitsergebnisse auf höchstem Niveau“ (Legal 500 Deutschland 2023).<h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li>Gucci Germany, Yves Saint Laurent Germany und Bottega Veneta: Beratung in allen arbeitsrechtlichen Angelegenheiten und Streitigkeiten</li><li>Sky Deutschland: Umfassende Beratung hinsichtlich der Vorstandsverträge</li><li>Carbone Lorraine (Automobilzulieferer): Beratung bei der Restrukturierung der deutschen Tochtergesellschaft (Haustarifvertrag, Sozialplan und Interessenausgleich)</li><li>Führende Internetverkaufsplattform: Laufende Beratung zu allen arbeitsrechtlichen Fragen und in allen arbeitsrechtlichen Streitigkeiten</li><li>Weltweit führendes Satellitenunternehmen: Umfassende Beratung im Hinblick auf interne Ermittlungen in Deutschland, den Niederlanden und den USA</li><li>Fox International Channels: Erstellung der Nutzer AGBs und der Privacy Policy für die Unternehmens-Website</li><li>Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG): Beratung bei der Einführung der betrieblichen Altersversorgung</li><li>Bertelsmann Group: Beratung bei der weltweiten Einführung eines Compliance-Systems, einschließlich eines Whistleblowing-Systems</li><li>Anschutz Entertainment Group: Beratung bei Datenübertragungsvereinbarungen und der Migration von Kundendaten</li><li>PrimaCom: Datenschutzrechtliche Beratung bei der Implementierung von IPv6-Adressen</li><li>PubliGroupe SA: Beratung in Bezug auf ein Joint Venture (Zanox) mit Axel Springer</li><li>Beratung eines deutschen Unternehmens der Papierindustrie bei der Durchführung interner Ermittlungen im Vorfeld von Ermittlungen des Bundeskartellamtes</li><li>Umfassende Beratung eines internationalen Papierherstellers bei der Einführung eines Compliance-Systems in EMEA</li></ul>

Hanno Timner

Partner

Oliver Spratt is Of Counsel based in the London office of Morrison & Foerster. He advises domestic and international clients on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. Oliver works with clients across a range of industry sectors on employer/employee issues arising throughout the employment lifecycle from recruitment to termination.He regularly works alongside colleagues in the corporate, TTG and finance teams where he advises clients that are undertaking complex corporate transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and business restructuring, on employment issues, as well as advising companies on the employment aspects arising out of major initiatives, such as global outsourcing projects, restructurings and global policy changes.Much of Oliver’s work involves advising international clients on cross-border employment matters, and he has significant experience working with local employment counsel to deliver commercial and pragmatic solutions to a broad range of multi-jurisdictional employment law issues.On the contentious side of his practice, he has experience of representing employers in the Employment Tribunal, defending sensitive, high-value claims, such as unfair dismissal, discrimination, and breach of contract. In February 2019 Oliver represented the respondent care home in the matter of Shannon (Appellant) v Rampersad and another (T/A Clifton House Residential Home) (Respondents), which was heard before the UK Supreme Court. Oliver has advised clients on matters involving the misappropriation of confidential information by current and former employees and breaches of restrictive covenants.In the past, Oliver has been seconded to two multinational businesses – one in the oil and gas sector and another in the technology sector.Oliver has produced and delivered training on various employment law issues and has had articles published in the Employment Law Journal. In August 2020 he was a member of the UK Employment Lawyers’ Association working party responding to the recent government consultation on the potential changes to the law surrounding support for victims of domestic abuse in the workplace. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oliver has provided strategic advice and training to a number of clients on the employment law challenges faced by employers across the globe. Oliver has an extensive pro bono practice, and he sits on the Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice Bureau’s Service Delivery Committee.Oliver is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.<h4>Representative Experience </h4><h5>Non-Contentious</h5><ul><li>Acting as principal employment law adviser to a global manufacturing client on employment aspects of its acquisition of another global business. The acquisition impacted 1,300 employees across 13 jurisdictions, and involved the automatic transfer of employees pursuant to the Acquired Rights Directive and equivalent laws outside the EU. </li><li>Advising a Fortune 500 manufacturing client on the employment aspects of two global outsourcing projects valuing in excess of $600m. </li><li>Advising a global manufacturing company on the enforceability of a ‘global’ IP and non-complete agreement across 47 different jurisdictions. </li><li>Advising a global insurance company on a complex collective redundancy process, including advising on the process for the election of employee representatives and drafting communications with employees and representatives. </li></ul><h5>Contentious</h5><ul><li>Acting for the respondent care home in the matter of Shannon (Appellant) v Rampersad and another (T/A Clifton House Residential Home) (Respondents), which was heard before the UK Supreme Court in February 2019. The decision of the Supreme Court, which was handed down on 19th March 2021, finding in the respondent’s favour, is the leading authority regarding the application of the National Minimum Wage legislation to employees who are permitted to sleep while at work.</li><li>Advising a global bank on its successful defense of a complex, high-value and highly sensitive whistleblowing claim in the UK Employment Tribunal. </li><li>Advising a global oil and gas company on the successful mediation of claims of sex and maternity discrimination, which had been brought by an employee in the UK Employment Tribunal. </li><li>Advising a medical software company on the protection of sensitive and confidential information unlawfully taken by a former employee for the purposes of aiding a competitor. </li><li>Advising a global digital payments company on a sensitive investigation following allegations of race and age discrimination by a former employee.</li><li>Advising a number of well-known employers on senior employee exits.</li></ul>

Oliver Spratt

Of Counsel

Christin is a senior associate at Morrison & Foerster’s German office in Berlin and is a member of the Employment & Labor practice group. She advises national and international companies on all issues and disputes arising under labor law.Christin studied law at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, with a focus on employment law. Prior to joining Morrison & Foerster, she worked as a trainee in the employment and labor team of a major German law firm and gained further experience at a law firm in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Christin Dunkel ist Senior Associate des deutschen Büros von Morrison & Foerster in Berlin und gehört der Praxisgruppe Arbeitsrecht an. Sie berät nationale und internationale Unternehmen zu allen arbeitsrechtlichen Angelegenheiten und Streitigkeiten.Christin Dunkel studierte Rechtswissenschaft an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin und fokussierte sich auf arbeitsrechtliche Themen. Vor ihrem Eintritt bei Morrison & Foerster arbeitete sie als Referendarin in der arbeitsrechtlichen Praxis einer namhaften deutschen Großkanzlei und sammelte weitere Erfahrung in einer mittelständischen Kanzlei in Johannesburg, Südafrika.

Christin Dunkel

Senior Associate

Employment + Labor

Litigation