Aristata backs Fortescue workplace harassment class action

UK litigation funder Aristata is backing a proposed class action against Australian mining company Fortescue over allegations that female employees experienced sexual harassment, assault and sex discrimination at remote mining operations in Western Australia.

JGA Saddler filed the claim in the Federal Court of Australia’s Victorian registry on behalf of women who worked at Fortescue’s fly-in, fly-out sites. The proposed proceeding alleges misconduct ranging from sexual violence and unwanted touching to verbal harassment and hostility toward female workers.

The allegations include claims that male workers stole women’s underwear from communal laundry facilities and touched women inappropriately at workplace gyms. The action concerns Fortescue’s operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, where the iron ore producer operates several remote mine sites.

Aristata provides funding for public interest and social impact litigation, including claims involving discrimination, employment rights and corporate accountability. The Fortescue case marks another Australian class action backed by the UK-based funder and broadens its portfolio of claims seeking remedies for alleged systemic harm.

The allegations have not been tested in court.