Amsterdam's integrity office falls short in ensuring socially safe workplace: Ombudsman

The city of Amsterdam’s Integrity Office is falling short in addressing socially unsafe situations like bullying, racism, and other unacceptable behavior. That is the conclusion of Amsterdam Ombudsman Munish Ramlal in a report published on Thursday.

The report was prompted by “dozens” of complaints and reports about the office’s working methods. After speaking with 92 employees from various levels of the organization, the Ombudsman found “so many bottlenecks in that approach” that he considers “the reporting system highly problematic.”

For example, civil servants often receive no response after filing a report, follow-up steps remain unclear, and the decision-making process surrounding integrity investigations creates “an appearance of bias.”

The Ombudsman stressed the municipality’s responsibility for a safe working environment and the proper handling of reports of socially unsafe situations. “A swift and remedial follow-up to such reports is necessary. If the reporting system malfunctions, it increases the level of unsafe situations because people feel unprotected.”

Last week, the Telegraaf reported that Mayor Femke Halsema had criticized the Ombudsman’s investigation. After seeing a draft version of the report, the newspaper wrote on Thursday that certain “strong conclusions” appear to have disappeared from the final report. Ramlal told the newspaper that this was “utter nonsense.” He said that such changes are not unusual and that he has not retracted or withdrawn anything since Halsema’s criticism.

A spokesperson for the mayor stated that the final report will be carefully reviewed. A substantive response will then be sent to the city council.

The reporting on the report was already a topic of discussion for a committee meeting on Thursday afternoon. “The fact that, according to the media, pressure was exerted on the Ombudsman could hinder the proper functioning of this body,” wrote the council members who requested the debate. “Therefore, clarity regarding the status of the report must be provided as soon as possible.”