Fortescue class action: female workers claim sexual harassment at remote mine sites

Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue is facing a class action lawsuit from female workers over allegations of systemic sexual harassment, violence and retaliation at the iron ore miner’s remote work sites. The lawsuit, filed in the federal court in Victoria on Thursday, includes an allegation that a woman was pulled into a dark alley where a man “tried to stick his tongue down my throat”. Another female employee allegedly found a male stranger in her room when returning to her accommodation. A third woman claimed she was “howled” at by male colleagues when attending a communal eating area. The class action has been filed by law firm JGA Saddler and is backed by UK litigation funder Aristata Capital. JGA Saddler special counsel Paris Hamrey said on Thursday that the allegations ranged from “serious sexual assaults through to day-to-day micro aggressions”. “One of the most disturbing regular reports is women on Fortescue work sites being warned against washing their underwear in on-site laundries because theft of female underwear is rife,” Hamrey said. “It is horrendous to think mining women should have to worry about what should be a mundane task. Aside from a violation, it raises concerns about escalation of offending and highlights safety risks to female staff.”