Mining giant fires top executive after sexual harassment probe

One of Australia’s largest mining companies, Fortescue Metals Group, has fired a senior executive following a months-long investigation into sexual harassment and bullying claims.

The Andrew Forrest-chaired mining giant on Wednesday said an independent investigation carried out by law firm MinterEllison had substantiated the allegations against the executive, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The finding prompted Fortescue to terminate his contract immediately.

“The investigation found conduct that breached Fortescue’s policies, as well as our values,” a company spokesperson said on Wednesday. “The board subcommittee overseeing the matter therefore ceased the individual’s contract.”

Perth-based Fortescue is the nation’s third-largest mining company, and a top exporter of iron ore from its vast mines in Western Australia’s remote Pilbara. The company said the investigation into the executive, which began in July, had been “thorough and independent”, adding it had thanked those who participated and offered them ongoing support.

Fortescue said it was committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace for all of its employees and contractors. “Everyone, regardless of their role or seniority, is expected to meet the standards set by our values,” the spokesperson said.

In a separate matter, the company is also facing a class-action lawsuit in the Federal Court alleging widespread sexual harassment, violence and discrimination against women at its iron ore mines in the Pilbara.

A statement from JGA Saddler, the law firm managing the class action, includes 45 testimonials from women who have worked at Fortescue’s iron ore mining operations, detailing incidents of alleged sexual assault, harassment and discrimination. They include one female Fortescue employee who reported a man pulling her into a dark alley and trying to “stick his tongue down my throat”, while another woman said she had arrived home one night to find a random man in her room.

In an internal email sent to Fortescue’s global workforce in June, Forrest described the class action’s detailed allegations, ranging from serious sexual assault to day-to-day cat-calling and hostility against female workers, as “serious” and “disturbing”.

“Anyone who thinks this behaviour has a place at Fortescue is in the wrong company,” Forrest wrote. “Losing your job is the beginning of the consequences, not the end.”

The male-dominated mining sector has struggled for years to police behaviour at isolated “mining camps”, where workers live for weeks at a time. The environments have historically been troubled by alcohol cultures and a severe gender imbalance.

A landmark WA parliamentary inquiry has previously exposed a pervasive culture of sexual misconduct across the state’s remote mining camps, prompting promises of reform from Australia’s biggest iron ore producers including BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue.

Employers like Fortescue and other companies are liable under the Sex Discrimination Act if they “permit” a woman to work in an environment where she is likely to be exposed to sexual harassment and discrimination.

The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the day’s trading. Get it each weekday afternoon.