Rio Tinto report reveals �systemic� bullying and harassment

February 4, 2022

Anglo-Australian mining firm Rio Tinto has admitted to �systemic� bullying and sexism across its firm, according to an external report.

The review was conducted by Elizabeth Broderick, Australia�s former national sex discrimination commissioner.

Jakob Stausholm, chief executive officer at Rio Tinto, who commissioned the report, said the findings were �deeply disturbing� and offered his �heartfelt apology to every team member, past or present, who has suffered as a result of these behaviours�.

Broderick said that most women experienced �everyday sexism� which included being left out of meetings and not being provided with a women�s toilet.

In addition, 21 women reported an actual or attempted rape or sexual assault in the past five years.

�Sexual harassment and everyday sexism occur at unacceptable rates. Racism is common across a number of areas,� said Broderick in the report. �Bullying is systemic, experienced by almost half of the survey respondents.�

Broderick and her team received responses from 10,000 of Rio�s 45,000 employees, as well conducting 109 group listening sessions and 85 confidential one-on-one meetings.

The report did not specify if the reported assaults had occurred in �fly-in, fly-out� (Fifo) camps, though rates of sexual harassment were higher at these sites. Harassment was experienced by 43% of women, while 28% of women reported sexual harassment across the entire company.

�Women at Fifo worksites spoke of eating alone in their room to avoid harassment in the dining hall and the gym,� the report stated, �of avoiding being out after dark; of bad lighting and poor security; and of harassing and even threatening behaviour from male colleagues when they were walking to their accommodation after work.�

Rio Tinto said it accepted the report�s 26 recommendations and would focus its action on leadership and diversity, aiming to improve camp facilities and make it easier for people to �call out individual behaviours�.

This story comes as the latest in a line of Rio Tinto scandals.