One of the world’s biggest iron ore mining companies is now facing a class action lawsuit over allegations of widespread sexual harassment targeting women at its remote work sites in Australia.
The suit against Fortescue — ranked fourth globally among iron ore producers — was filed Thursday by law firm JGA Saddler. The same firm previously launched comparable class action cases against mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP in late 2024, and those legal battles are still ongoing.
The issue has deep roots in Australia’s mining sector. Back in 2022, the Western Australian state government called for sweeping reforms across the industry after documenting what it described as horrifying treatment of women, concluding that sexual harassment and assault were widespread among fly-in, fly-out, or FIFO, mining workers.
JGA Saddler litigator Paris Hamrey spoke out strongly about the conditions women say they are enduring. “Time and time again, women are telling us that they don’t feel safe at the Fortescue mine sites,” she said in a statement.
Hamrey went on to describe specific allegations from workers: “Women are telling us that they can’t do their daily washing because their underwear is being stolen from the public laundries, they can’t go to the gym because men are touching them inappropriately or following them back to their room.”
She also said that when women do speak up, the consequences are often severe — including demotion, dismissal, being silenced, or being blacklisted from the industry entirely.
The legal filing includes 45 personal accounts from women who have worked at Fortescue. Among the testimonials, one woman wrote: “I came home one night to find a random man in my room.”
Australia leads the world in iron ore production, with many of its remote mining operations relying on FIFO workers who travel long distances to work extended shifts. Women currently make up about 22% of the mining workforce, an increase from roughly 18% at the beginning of the decade.
According to Fortescue’s most recent safety report, the company recorded 22 sexual harassment cases with Western Australia’s mines safety regulator during the 2025 financial year — a 27% drop from the previous year. Notably, Fortescue was the only one of the three companies named in class action suits to report a decline in such incidents.
By comparison, Rio Tinto’s internal care hub — which tracks reports of disrespectful or harmful workplace behavior — logged 702 incidents last year, a 24% jump from the year before, according to its annual report. BHP reported 429 sexual harassment incidents in 2025, a 3% rise, and noted in its annual report that 100 individuals found to be responsible either lost their jobs or resigned.
