1st Feb 2022 12:06
(Alliance News) - Rio Tinto PLC said on Tuesday that an independent review of its workplace culture, which it commissioned in March, has revealed bullying, sexism and racism across its worksites.
The London-based metals and mining company said that the review was conducted by former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick. The data was collected from a global online survey completed by 10,303 people; 109 group listening sessions; 85 confidential one-on-one listening sessions and 138 written submissions.
The report identified that in the past five years, almost half of the people at Rio Tinto had experienced bullying. Women, it was reported, were more likely to experience bullying than men, with 53% of women compared to 47% of men reporting bullying in the survey.
Sexual harassment was identified as a significant organisational challenge: 28% of woman and 6.7% of men were reported to have experienced sexual harassment at work. 21 women reported actual or attempted rape or sexual assault.
Women also spoke of the lack of consequences when they reported these incidents and of having to carry the burden of managing the situation themselves.
The report also found that racism was prevalent across a number of locations.
The survey indicates that 12% of Rio Tinto employees experienced racism in the last 5 years though this rate is significantly higher among specific populations.
Male and female employees in South Africa experienced the highest rates of racism at 34.5% and 33.8% respectively. Among Australian employees, 40% of men who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experienced racism in the last 5 years, compared with just 12% of men who don’t identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
Rio Tinto said: "We are deeply disturbed by these findings, and we sincerely apologise to every team member, past or present, who has suffered because of these behaviours. We will not tolerate these behaviours from anyone. We accept the report's recommendations, and it is clear we have work to do to address these issues."
The report outlined 26 recommendations and the company said these will inform the work being carried out to improve how it responds to discrimination and unacceptable workplace behaviour.
Rio Tinto said its three key action areas will be: leadership and behavioural change, safe and inclusive facilities, and caring responses.
Shares in Rio Tinto were up 1.7% at 5,275.00 pence on Tuesday in London.
By Heather Rydings; [email protected]
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