“They saw me as a problem.” In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner talks Noel McGree, who blew the whistle on corruption in the Irish prison service. Learn more about whistleblowing law in Ireland as McGree talks about lending his knowledge and advising in the country’s implementation of the EU whistleblowing directive. McGree delves into his whistleblower story: in 2013, he was asked to participate in theft while working in a prison. After refusing to participate in the theft, McGree experienced retaliation and was removed from his catering duties. He made a health and safety report that later became defined as a whistleblowing act, and a judge ruled in McGree’s favor in the case. However, retaliation against McGree worsened after the judge’s ruling.
McGree describes being harassed by his colleagues at work and tells Turner that his family was put at risk as well. He talks about the extensive toll blowing the whistle has taken on his and his family’s lives. McGree also discusses ways in which he has used his circumstances to better the system for other whistleblowers: he impacted change at the prison when a protected disclosures office and manager was created there. McGree talks with Turner about his plans for the future, his support systems, being a founding member of Blowers Ireland, and how a job he found after leaving the prison service was a welcome breath of fresh air. Don’t miss this incredible whistleblower’s story!
Read the 2021 Whistleblower of the Week profile on McGree here.
Visit McGree’s GoFundMe page here.
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