CIVIL servants are reluctant to raise complaints about the behaviour of SNP ministers because they have no confidence in the process, a union has said.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, which represents civil servants, said he is aware of several outstanding complaints against current ministers.
He made the comments in a BBC Panorama episode broadcast last night as news broke that a Holyrood committee has found Nicola Sturgeon misled parliament over the Alex Salmond affair.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon 'misled parliament' over Alex Salmond affair, inquiry finds
The Holyrood inquiry into the saga found the First Minister gave "an inaccurate account" of her actions and so misled the cross-party investigation.
However it stopped short of saying she did so "knowingly", the threshold for resignation under the Scottish Ministerial Code.
It is understood the inquiry split down party lines 5-4 on the issue and decided Ms Sturgeon broke the code on the balance of probabilities, with only SNP MSPs clearing their leader.
The decision is likely to increase pressure on Ms Sturgeon to stand down before May's election.
Asked how many complaints are outstanding against current ministers, Mr Penman told the BBC: "I don't know the total number.
"I'm aware of several that are outstanding against ministers, and I'm also aware of several members who have indicated to us they would have a complaint about ministerial behaviour and they're not prepared to raise it, because they've looked at what's happened around the Salmond affair, they've looked at what's happening with current complaints, and they're saying, 'What is the point?'"
A Scottish Government spokesman told the BBC it is committed to ensuring its employees are able to take action over unacceptable behaviour.
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