Can I have access to an audit report?
An audit took place in a department after numerous press articles denouncing abuse and mistreatment of the staff.
A trade union asked the Human Resources Department (HRD) to give them the audit.
The management prohibited public release of this document because it fears that it could be used in legal proceedings against the company.
The HRD informed the trade union that access to the document was denied because its release would violate the privacy of certain employees of the company.
The trade union may get partial access to the audit report after anonymisation of the personal data it contains.
Recommendations
An audit report is a document to which public access is guaranteed, subject to refusal on legal grounds, such as protection of the rights of others; partial access may be granted and the document will be censored.
Basic principles
LIPAD 26 al. 2 let. g and 30 ; LTrans 7 and 9
Principle of administration transparency.
Resources
In 2007, an audit analysing the economic crisis in the Grand Théâtre de Genève was released online without being "anonymous".
