The small municipalities join forces for whistleblowers: "Can not guarantee anonymity yourself"

SVT Nyheter Småland has previously written about the new bill, the government presented its bill last week.

The bill means, among other things, that all municipalities introduce special reporting channels for whistleblowers.

In addition to employees, jobseekers, self-employed people and trainees must be protected by law.

Information about the whistleblower's identity shall be protected by rules on professional secrecy and confidentiality.

Larger businesses, such as municipalities and regions, will be required to introduce their own whistleblower channels.

A survey that SVT Nyheter Småland has sent to all municipalities (see the answers in the fact box) in Kalmar and Kronoberg counties shows that many of the small municipalities in the counties plan to merge to create common channels.

"Not nervous"

In Uppvidinge municipality, the former mayor was fired after criticism from employees four years ago.

When SVT meets the current municipal manager, Anne Hallberg, she has just had a meeting with the other municipal managers in the county about how to protect employees who sound the alarm.

- We just talked about integrity and anonymity and a small municipality may not be able to fully guarantee it, says Anne Hallberg.

What is the difficulty in a small municipality?

- If we had it ourselves, there may be a small, small risk that you could follow who reported something.

Just the feeling that there could be a lack of integrity, then it is clearly better with a larger group.

Own channel in Växjö

Växjö is the only municipality that has started an external whistleblower canal.

The rest of the municipalities in Kronoberg County are discussing joining forces and making joint procurement.

The same picture comes from the municipalities in Kalmar County, even though nothing has been decided.

- Vimmerby municipality currently has no established channel for whistleblowers, but the question of such a function has been raised internally and we will continue to work with it.

There is also a discussion about the possibility of a possible county-wide collaboration, answers communications manager Anna Erlandsson Karlsson in an email.