Wheres can this UPI article be found that everyone keeps referring to??
The Drudge report times out.
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Announcement from ERM has made my day. :)
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BHP and RIO in deep trouble. Enormous class action. Mass panic on global markets causing BHP and RIO to dall.
Former female employees detail alleged sexual harassment in class actions against Rio Tinto and BHP
Being urinated on, defecated in front of, sexually groped, harassed by videos of a male colleague masturbating, and being told "rape is not rape if you are passed out".
These are some of the horrific claims of abuse in the landmark class actions being brought against two of Australia's largest mining companies in the Federal Court in Sydney.
Lawyers expect thousands of other female workers to join the lawsuit, which alleges widespread and systemic sexual harassment and gender discrimination at Rio Tinto and BHP worksites over the last two decades.
Brisbane-based JGA Saddler lawyer Joshua Aylward alleges some of these women were "truly broken" after being belittled, ridiculed and often sacked because they tried to speak out.
"They just feel worthless because of the way that these companies have allowed these men to treat them," Mr Aylward said.
"They have been exposed to penises being flopped out in front of them, to men who drop their pants and defecate in front of them and then laugh about it."
He said women allege men would grope them and rub up against them, and were exposed to comments over the radio that were pornographic in nature.
Has Video Duration: 24 seconds.Watch 24sJoshua Aylward says the women he has spoken to feel "truly broken".
Mr Aylward said he had spoken to hundreds of women in the past 18 months who were unable to work because of "sustained sexual assaults and harassments whilst being at work".
He said the two female lead applicants were "very brave" and the legal firm had redacted their names and will ask for a suppression order because they fear retaliation from the men on the sites.
Security guard 'sent unsolicited, sexually explicit messages'
One of the lead applicants, who worked as a FIFO security officer for a range of Rio Tinto-managed workplaces in WA, alleges she was sexually harassed weekly.
“I was sent unsolicited, sexually explicit messages, videos and pictures from a colleague, including pictures and videos of him masturbating in his on-site room," she said.
She alleges Rio Tinto allowed him to resign, but after her complaint she was "overlooked for opportunities to upskill”.
"Standing up and saying something has come at a huge professional and personal cost, but until women in mining join together and say 'no more', these big companies will continue to cover it up," she said.
The other lead applicant worked for BHP as a drive-in-drive-out (DIDO) operator, driving machinery like water trucks and dump trucks.
She alleges she was called a "c***" and a "prick tease" and was told she was at the mine "just to get laid".
One of the lead applicants worked for BHP as a drive-in-drive-out operator. (AAP: James Ross)
She said she was verbally abused at a Queensland camp when she rejected unwanted sexual advances, and when she complained her contract was ended.
She alleges she was urinated on, sexually harassed over the two-way radio and had a BHP employee defecate in front of her.
"There have been times I haven't reported an incident for fear of what might happen to my career, my job and my personal safety," she said.
Thousands of other female workers are expected to join the lawsuit. (ABC News: Curtis Rodda)
Underwear stolen, women allegedly filmed in rooms
These shocking allegations are nothing new to 36-year-old Angela Green, who worked for BHP at a Queensland site from 2018 up until this year.
She was an explosives expert who worked on the blast crew — a job she loved.
But two years ago her life was torn apart.
Angela Green worked as an explosives expert in Queensland. (Supplied)
"I heard there had been an incident on site where a BHP employee had been caught videoing female staff in their rooms, had accessed and downloaded phone contents, possessed stolen underwear, had hair samples and had taken used tampons from the bin," she said.
It's alleged the video was found in the man's locker along with the stolen items.
Ms Green said she had been told she was on the video and had noticed some of her underwear was missing.
Angela Green claims her employment was terminated after she complained to BHP in March. (Supplied)
But when she spoke to her supervisor about the incident, she alleges she was shut down and later interrogated in an official meeting with two senior executives.
"I sat down and wondered what was going to happen. Concerned, I said 'am I going to be sacked?'" she said.
"And they said 'well, it depends on the answers that you give' and they started to question me about who I'm having sex with."
She said she was shocked and later accused of rorting an employee awards system and falsifying log books.
"The accusations are not true. I have an immaculate work record and I've never had an issue or even a written warning," she said.
West Australian mining executives apologise to mine site sexual assault victims
Photo shows Autonomous Haulage Trucks at West Angelas mine siteAfter complaining to the BHP Ethics and Investigations team in March this year, Ms Green claims she was later terminated.
In May, she was allegedly offered compensation for the way she was dismissed, but only if she signed a non disclosure agreement (NDA).
"BHP state office said if I signed it then they would clear my record and change it to say I resigned instead of being terminated," she said.
"That clears their name and their history and makes out like I happily left of my own free will."
She refused, is now unemployed and is speaking out to encourage other women to come forward.
Companies conduct external reviews, apologise as reports continue
Many of the complaints have come from women who work in remote areas in the outback as FIFO contractors and live in male-dominated, camp-style accommodation for weeks at a time.
The mining giants enacted external reviews of workplace culture after a WA government inquiry found dozens of examples of female workers being abused, coerced and subjected to sexual violence.
Rio Tinto and BHP have apologised to aggrieved staff, maintaining the "behaviours are unacceptable" and have enacted "cultural change" across their operations.
Elizabeth Broderick led an independent review into Rio Tinto in 2022. (John Gunn, ABC News.)
Rio Tinto engaged former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick to hold an independent review.
The report, which was handed down in February 2022, identified disturbing findings of bullying, sexual harassment, racism and other forms of discrimination throughout the company.
Last month, Rio Tinto published findings from a progress review undertaken by Ms Broderick.
The study showed in the past year, eight people reported experiencing actual or attempted sexual assault or rape, compared to five people in 2021.
Thirty-two people reported experiencing pressure or requests for sex or sexual acts, compared to 37 people in 2021. Seven per cent of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, which was on par with 2021.
A Rio Tinto spokesperson said the company was aware of the claim filed in court.
"We treat all such claims with the utmost seriousness," they said.
"We do not tolerate any form of sexual harassment or sex-based harassment.
"We are absolutely committed to creating safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces."
Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm has previously said he is "greatly troubled" by the behaviour reported on Rio Tinto sites. (Supplied: Rio Tinto)
A spokesperson for BHP said sexual harassment "has no place in our workplaces or indeed anywhere" and that the company is "committed to providing a safe and respectful workplace for everyone".
"We deeply regret and apologise unreservedly to anyone who has ever experienced any form of harassment at BHP," they said.
"For many years, we have been focused on identifying, calling out and dealing with instances of disrespectful behaviour, including sexual harassment, racism and bullying."
BHP states on its website it received 417 reports of sexual harassment in the 2023-2024 financial year.
It found, of 100 established cases that were investigated across its global operations, one involved sexual assault, 22 involved sexualised and indecent touching and 32 involved sexually aggressive comments, stalking, grooming or image-based harassment.
BHP states 45 cases involved other forms of sexual harassment, including sexualised conversations or jokes, and 103 individuals responsible had their employment terminated or resigned, while contractors were removed from the site.
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