"BHP, Rio Tinto face sexual harassment class actions in Australia", 11 December 2024.

BHP... and Rio Tinto... are facing allegations of fostering environments at their Australian mining sites where female staff endured systemic sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

Two class actions, filed in the Federal Court of Australia on Wednesday, claim the mining giants knowingly exposed women to high-risk situations and retaliated with demotions, dismissals, or further discrimination when complaints were made, according to the law firm JGA Saddler...

“BHP and Rio Tinto sent female staff to these sites knowing there was a high risk of personal danger, and then punished them with demotion, dismissal, or discrimination when they reported it,” JGA Saddler lawyer...said in a statement.

“These class actions will give a voice to these women, many of whom have been too afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs or workplace reprisals,” he added.

The lead plaintiff in the Rio Tinto case, who has chosen to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals, described enduring sexual harassment weekly while employed as a security guard on Australian sites.

She alleged receiving unsolicited sexually explicit messages, videos, and photos from a colleague, including material of him masturbating in his on-site room. While the colleague was allowed to resign, her career progression was hindered following her complaint...

JGA Saddler said that it expects “thousands of female workers” at the two companies to join the class actions.

In response, BHP issued a statement expressing regret and apologizing unreservedly to anyone affected by harassment. The company highlighted a $500 million investment in improving the safety and security of accommodation villages.

Rio Tinto said it was aware that a claim had been filed in the federal court on Wednesday.

“We treat all such claims with the utmost seriousness. We do not tolerate any form of sexual harassment or sex-based harassment. We take all concerns about workplace safety, culture and breaches of our values, or our code of conduct extremely seriously,” it said in a statement....