You are on the homepage of the electronic whistleblower system of Woolworth Česká republika s.r.o. conducted within the meaning of Act No. 171/2023 Coll. on the protection of whistleblowers, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the "Whistleblower Protection Act").
Who provides the system?
Woolworth Česká republika s.r.o. (hereinafter only “Woolworth CZ”) has commissioned PARK Compliance Services GmbH (hereinafter only “PARK Compliance”), in particular the attorney at law Dr Tobias Eggers and the attorney at law Julia Mryka, LL.M., as his substitute, to set up and operate the internal whistleblower system in accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act. PARK Compliance operates the electronic whistleblower system for the receipt and registration of reports, whereas Dr Tobias Eggers and Julia Mryka, LL.M. were appointed as the persons pursuant to Section 10(2) of Whistleblower Protection Act.
In addition, Woolworth CZ has appointed its employee Ms Eva Šimáková as a designated person pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Act.
The named designated persons may share information concerning the whistleblower and the report itself exclusively among themselves for the purpose of assessing the report. The identity of the whistleblower may be disclosed to third parties only with the prior written consent of the whistleblower. The designated persons perform their duties impartially and independently in compliance with the Whistleblower Protection Act.
If you submit a report via the electronic whistleblower platform, your report will be received by Dr Tobias Eggers or Julia Mryka, LL.M. They will notify you about the receipt, and forward the report with all attached documents to Ms Eva Šimáková for further assessment. If deemed appropriate in view of the specific circumstances of the case, Dr Tobias Eggers or Julia Mryka, LL.M., will handle the assessment of the report directly.
Reports via the electronic platform can be submitted in any language, and you will receive a response in Czech, Slovak, or English, or possibly also in German if the report is reviewed by Dr Tobias Eggers or Julia Mryka LL.M. The language in which the report was submitted will be preferred.
When to submit a report?
A report may be submitted in case of suspected unlawful conduct within the activities of Woolworth CZ or in connection therewith, which has the characteristics of a criminal offence or an administrative offence for which the law stipulates a fine with an upper limit of at least CZK 100,000, or which involves a breach of other laws listed in Section 2(1) of the Whistleblower Protection Act. Reports may also be submitted concerning suspected violations of internal policies of Woolworth CZ.
The whistleblowing system is not intended for general complaints unrelated to illegal conduct specified in Section 2(1) of the Whistleblower Protection Act, for inquiries regarding goods and liability for defects, or for sending job applications. Such submissions are not assessed within the meaning of the Whistleblower Protection Act.
Who can submit a report?
Reports may be submitted by employees, business partners, and by other persons referred to in Section 2(1) of the Whistleblower Protection Act who have become aware of potential unlawful conduct in connection with the performance of work or other similar activities for Woolworth CZ, or in connection with a business relationship with Woolworth CZ.
What the electronic whistleblower platform offers?
- complete management of the whistleblower process, starting from submission of report to notification of the assessment outcome,
- protection of the identity of the whistleblower and the persons pursuant to Section 4(2)(a)–(h) of the Whistleblower Protection Act,
- tracking of the report’s processing status and communication with the designated persons,
- practical separation from other internal whistleblower systems,
- end-to-end encryption of all information to ensure the security of sensitive data.
How are the reports processed?
All reports are assessed carefully and with due regard for confidentiality in accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act.
All whistleblowers acting in good faith are fully protected against discrimination and retaliation within the meaning of Section 4 of the Whistleblower Protection Act.
If a report does not fall under the Whistleblower Protection Act, i.e. if it is not submitted by an authorized person or the conduct in question does not meet the criteria of unlawful conduct within the meaning of Section 2(1)(a)–(d), points 1–14 of the Whistleblower Protection Act, you will be notified that the report does not qualify as such and will not be assessed under the Whistleblower Protection Act. However, if such a report was submitted in good faith, Woolworth CZ will provide you with adequate and appropriate protection.
No protection is granted to a person who makes a report without having reasonable grounds to believe that the information contained in the report is true (knowingly false report). Knowingly false reports may entail civil, labor law, or criminal consequences.
Other Reporting Channels
The electronic whistleblower platform is only one of the reporting channels offered by Woolworth CZ. Reports may also be submitted in person, by telephone, or by e-mail.
Submitting the report via the Woolworth CZ electronic platform or through another internal whistleblower channel does not exclude the right to report to competent state or EU authorities, institutions, or other entities. Reports may also be made orally or in writing through the external reporting system of the Czech Ministry of Justice (https://oznamovatel.justice.cz/chci-podat-oznameni/).