VW whistleblower sacked by GM

Whistle blower Hemanth Kappanna, an Indian engineer whose research helped to expose Volkswagen’s conspiracy to lie about its diesel cars’ emissions, was fired by US “General Motors” as part of a strategic transformation. His severance package consisted of two months’ salary and a one-way ticket to India.

Kappanna returned to Bengaluru as he could not find a job before his work visa’s 60-day grace period expired. He studied in the US for 17-years  and joined GM in December 2014 after achieving his PhD. In 2013, he was part of a team of engineering students in West Virginia whose research exposed Volkswagen’s conspiracy.

Someone considering whistleblowing on their employer should fear retaliation from the employer. In UK  whistleblowers are protected by UK law if they report a criminal offence, a health and safety violation , risk or damage to the environment or a miscarriage of justice. They are also protected if they believe someone is covering up wrongdoing. Protection for whistleblowers in UK is provided under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) which amends the Employment Rights Acts 1996. The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 in the US was enacted to protect federal employees who disclose “ Government illegality, waste and corruption” from adverse consequences related to their employment. This act provides protection to whistleblowers that may receive demotions, pay cuts or a replacement employee.

But none of this whislteblowing protection helped Hemanth Kappanna.