Rio Tinto employees report rise in bullying, sexual assault

Half of study respondents besides opportunity mining giant’s workplace civilization has improved ‘a lot’ aliases ‘a little’.

More than one-third of workers astatine Rio Tinto knowledgeable bullying successful nan erstwhile 12 months, a advancement reappraisal has found, astir 3 years aft nan mining elephantine pledged to tackle pervasive sexism and racism successful nan workplace.

Among nan astir 12,000 surveyed Rio Tinto employees, 39 percent reported being bullied, up from 31 percent successful 2021, nan study commissioned by nan British-Australian institution showed connected Wednesday.

Female labor were much apt to opportunity they knowledgeable bullying.

Half of nan women surveyed reported specified experiences, compared pinch 36 percent of men, up from 36 percent of women and 29 percent of men, respectively, successful 2021.

The emergence successful bullying against women was partially owed to “increasing retaliation successful nan shape of gendered bullying arsenic a consequence to Rio Tinto’s efforts to beforehand gender diverseness and inclusion,” nan study said.

Seven percent of respondents – 16 percent of women and 4 percent of men – said they had knowledgeable intersexual harassment, a proportionality unchanged from 2021.

Eight labor said they had knowledgeable existent aliases attempted intersexual battle aliases rape, compared pinch 5 successful 2021.

Despite nan findings, astir half of nan labor reported that nan workplace civilization astatine nan institution had improved.

Fifty percent of respondents said nan business successful narration to bullying had gotten “a lot” aliases “a little” better, while 47 percent and 46 percent of respondents, respectively, reported improvements successful narration to intersexual harassment and racism.

The reappraisal besides recovered that 26 of nan recommendations outlined successful nan 2022 Everyday Respect Report commissioned by nan institution had been mostly implemented.

Rio Tinto’s main executive, Jakob Stausholm, said he was “greatly troubled” that workers were still experiencing harmful behaviours but encouraged by nan company’s efforts to change.

“The reappraisal besides shows that while advancement is being made, achieving nan sustained alteration we want to spot successful our civilization will require ongoing attraction and effort,” Stausholm said successful a statement.

“My connection coming is that we will enactment nan course.”

The review, conducted by erstwhile Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, comes aft a 2022 parliamentary enquiry successful Western Australia recovered that intersexual harassment and battle were wide successful nan mining sector.