Fortescue senior executive sacked after sexual harassment probe

A senior executive at Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group has been sacked following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and bullying at the iron ore miner.

The executive, who was not named by Fortescue in its short statement about the matter, "breached Fortescue’s policies, as well as our values", it said.

Fortescue had engaged law firm MinterEllison to examine a series of allegations about the employee's conduct.

"Sexual harassment, bullying, and other behaviour that makes people feel unsafe has no place at Fortescue," the company said.

"Everyone, regardless of their role or seniority, is expected to meet the standards set by our values."

It said it would provide "ongoing support" to those who took part in the investigation.

In August, Reuters reported Fortescue had allowed the executive to continue working at the firm while the MinterEllison investigation was underway.

The company's energy chief Gus Pichot told the wire service the company was "quite confident we are following the proper process" in allowing it.

Class action by women workers

It comes after a group of female Fortescue employees launched a class action in the Federal Court against the company in June, alleging rape, sexual assault and stalking at remote FMG mine sites in WA's Pilbara.

The allegations included drink spiking, promotions offered in exchange for sexual favours and a widespread culture of sexual harassment and denigration.

The sacking comes despite a 2023 deal with WorkSafe WA in which Fortescue agreed to spend $1.4 million on addressing inappropriate workplace behaviour after allegedly failing to supply documents about dozens of sexual harassment allegations to the work safety regulator.

Widespread harassment

FMG is not the first mining company to face claims of unsafe work practices and a toxic culture.

Hundreds of women have come forward in the two years since BHP and Rio Tinto were taken to federal court over similar allegations.

A 2022 report into the sexual harassment of women in the mining industry by a parliamentary committee found nearly three quarters of women in mining had experienced sexual harassment at work in the past five years, and that it was generally accepted in workplaces.

The scathing report found mining companies failed to recognise the problem or act on it, and while the government accepted its recommendations, not all have been enacted.

Some of these included changes to equal opportunities laws, which the WA government yesterday announced it would introduce, four years on from the landmark report.