Helen Martin: Whistleblower was gagged not once but twice
IT was truly horrific, as Highlands and Islands MSP Rhoda Grant said, to see the photo of female fisheries officer DeeAnn Fitzpatrick, gagged and strapped to a chair by her Marine Scotland colleagues after she complained about misogynistic bullying.
Worse still is that she was prevented from speaking out about the situation by the civil service code of conduct, and that the Scottish Government responded by saying they will “not comment on internal staffing matters” because the employment tribunal is still under way.
Code of conduct? Internal staffing matters? This is a national disgrace. Why should an alleged “code of conduct” gag her just as her evil work-mates did?
Whistle-blowing about wrong-doing is now being encouraged ... except, apparently, when it involves government employees.