Whistleblowing
Employees, vendors and others who experience or are aware of unacceptable circumstances in the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) are encouraged to speak up.
WHAT IS WHISTLEBLOWING?
Whistleblowing is reporting unacceptable circumstances in the organisation. Unacceptable circumstances refer to violations of laws, regulations and ethical guidelines. Examples of unacceptable circumstances include financial irregularities such as corruption, fraud and embezzlement, deficient safety and security routines, and harassment. The need for whistleblowing may arise if you become aware of unacceptable circumstances that are unknown to the NDMA, but require action. Or it can be unacceptable circumstances that are known, but not properly addressed and dealt with.
RIGHT AND OBLIGATION TO WHISTLEBLOW
NDMA employees have the right to report unacceptable circumstances in the agency.
NDMA employees are obliged by law to report to the employer and/or the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) representative (verneombud in Norwegian) if they become aware of the following:
- Deficiencies or other problems that may endanger life or health
- Harassment, bullying or discrimination in the workplace
- An employee that is injured at work or contract an illness that the employee believes is caused by his/her work or workplace conditions
- Any circumstances or issues that may cause loss or damage to the Norwegian defence sector
The HSE representative has a special duty to report to the employer any conditions that could result in accidents or health hazards.
HOW DO I WHISTLEBLOW?
As a general rule, NDMA employees shall report unacceptable circumstances in the first instance to their immediate manager or a more senior line manager. Employees who don’t consider it possible or natural to report the unacceptable circumstances to line management are encouraged to report to reporting channel. For vendors and other external parties experiencing or becoming aware of unacceptable circumstances, the reporting channel will normally be the right and natural instance to contact.
You can contact the reporting channel in different ways:
-
The Norwegian Ministry of Defence has established an online reporting channel for the Norwegian defence sector including NDMA. Full anonymity is possible. The online reporting channel is assessed to be user friendly and among other things you can upload documentation in many different formats. Furthermore, it is possible to set up and carry out online chatting and remain anonymous.
-
Send e-mail to NDMA’s reporting channel: [email protected]
E-mails are read and responded to during office hours. -
Call NDMA’s reporting channel on +47 23 09 30 10. You may also contact us on this number if you have general questions regarding whistleblowing in NDMA. The phone service is to some extent also available outside normal office hours.
-
Send letter to the reporting channel:
Forsvarsmateriells varslingskanal
Postboks 1550 Sentrum
0015 Oslo -
Visit the reporting channel represented by NDMA Internal Audit that is located in Militærhospitalet, Grev Wedels plass 1 in Oslo. NDMA Internal Audit has the offices 025.4 and 025.5 on the floor below ground level in Militærhospitalet.
CASE HANDLING
NDMA is committed to handling reported matters in a timely, professional and confidential manner. Retaliation against a whistleblower is prohibited by Norwegian law. NDMA’s reporting channel is managed by experienced professionals in NDMA Internal Audit. The whistleblower will, if possible, receive confirmation that his or her report has been received. The whistleblower may also request information about NDMA’s defined case handling procedures. To protect the interests of the whistleblower, NDMA will minimise the involvement of the whistleblower in the case handling. Both the whistleblower and any accused party shall feel confident that they are treated in a fair and appropriate manner.
DISTINCTION BETWEEN A GRIEVANCE AND WHISTLE-BLOWING
NDMA distinguishes between a grievance and whistleblowing. We define a grievance as a matter that a person is not satisfied with, but cannot be considered unacceptable circumstances. Examples of grievances can include dissatisfaction with budgets, management, office facilities or quality of technical equipment. The reporting channel is only authorised to investigate potential unacceptable circumstances.
Help us improve – speak up about unacceptable circumstances in NDMA so that we can take appropriate action!