CBI to suspend operations until June after exodus of top UK businesses
The Confederation of British Industry has announced it is to mothball its operations until June after the Guardian’s revelations about alleged sexual misconduct by male employees at the lobbying group led to an exodus of businesses including John Lewis and NatWest.
The CBI’s board said it was suspending all membership and policy activity until an extraordinary meeting in June, when members will vote on its future and purpose.
The Guardian has published a series of accounts of more than a dozen women who claimed they were the victims of sexual misconduct by men at the CBI, including two women who said they were raped by colleagues.
After the latest revelations on Friday, in which a woman said she was raped by two male colleagues who worked with her at an overseas office of the CBI, more than 50of Britain’s biggest businesses quit or suspended engagement with the group.
The CBI, which claimed to represent 190,000 businesses prior to the exodus, was founded by royal charter in 1965. Its effective mothballing means an uncertain future for its workforce of more than 300 staff.
The board said in a statement that it “much needs to change” for it to win back the trust of businesses.
It said: “The CBI shares the shock and revulsion at the events that have taken place in our organisation, and at past failures that allowed these events to happen. We are deeply sorry and express our profound regret to the women who have endured these horrific experiences.
“We have listened carefully to what our colleagues, members and stakeholders have said over recent days and weeks. We have heard loud and clear a demand for far reaching change.”
It plans to spend the next two months before the meeting speaking to staff, businesses, experts and others
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