Rio Tinto says sexual harassment, racism still happening at miner

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Rio Tinto is finding it difficult to stamp out sexual harassment, racism and bullying as it faces resistance and backlash from some workers to its efforts to overhaul the culture of one of the world’s biggest miners. That is a key finding of a report published on Wednesday that assessed Rio Tinto’s response to an external review in 2021 that unearthed reports of frequent bullying by managers, racist comments and sexual assault.

Rio Tinto asked former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick to conduct the 2021 review of its workplace culture a year after it destroyed two ancient rock shelters in Australia, sparking global condemnation and soul-searching within Rio Tinto’s refreshed senior ranks. At the same time, the state government of Western Australia, where most of Rio Tinto’s Australian assets are located, was also holding an inquiry into sexual harassment of women in fly-in-fly-out, or FIFO, mining workforces. Wednesday’s report on Rio Tinto’s efforts to clean up its culture said that while there are signs that things are improving, resistance is evident and might be contributing to a rise in harmful behaviors in some areas.

“People are still experiencing behaviors and attitudes in our company that are unacceptable and harmful," said Jakob Stausholm, Rio Tinto’s chief executive. The latest survey of workers found 7% said they had experienced sexual harassment in the past 12 months, the same as in 2021. Eight people reported experiencing actual or attempted sexual assault or rape, up from five over the same period.