In 2001, Paul Schaap was deputy chief of staff at the nuclear reactor in Petten, Netherlands. He argued that unusually tight supply contracts pressured the facility to keep operating continuously, including after malfunctions. Schaap first documented his concerns internally in a “blackbook,” then reported them to the director of the Dutch Kernfysische Dienst after receiving assurances that his identity would remain confidential. His name nevertheless became public, triggering a labor dispute and preventing him from returning to his former position.
A judge later ruled that Schaap did not qualify for whistleblower status, finding that he had not taken sufficient internal steps and had gone to the press too early. The employer offered him a different daytime job, but he declined it because he valued his reactor work and had concurrent news-agency duties; he subsequently lost his job. Schaap sought €800,000 from the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) for lost income and pension damage, ultimately receiving €200,000 for lost retirement benefits. His case was later featured in the 2016 documentary Stank voor dank, which examined retaliation against whistleblowers.
