employees harassed
British industry association is on the brink
04/21/2023, 10:18 p.m
A newspaper report prompts a wave of resignations from a respected British industry association. A former employee describes a rape by two colleagues. She did not get any help from her employer. The CBI has suspended its work for the time being, and the police are also investigating in other cases.
The British industry association CBI (Confederation of British Industry) is struggling with a violent exodus. As the British news agency PA reported, BMW, Unilever and Virgin Media O2, among others, announced their withdrawal from the association. Others, such as supermarket chains Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, have suspended their cooperation for the time being. The background to this are reports from former employees of the association about harassment and rape.
The “Guardian” reported on the latest case on Friday and triggered a new wave of exits. A woman who worked at a CBI office abroad said she was raped by colleagues after they went out together. She woke up with the two men in the same room and found signs of rape on her body, the woman told the newspaper. She can’t remember anything, not even consenting to sexual activity. The men later made lewd remarks and showed her a photo in the office in which she appeared to be unconscious with a penis in her mouth. The ex-employee accused the CBI of having created an atmosphere in which colleagues in the office not only did not have to fear any consequences, but could even be “kind of proud” of such actions.
Police announce extensive investigations
The City of London Police announced last week that they were investigating an earlier report of a rape and complaints from a dozen women who had contacted the police over alleged managerial misconduct.
CBI President Biran McBride described the latest “Guardian” report as terrible and expressed his condolences to the alleged victim. We are working closely with the police to bring the perpetrators to justice. The association announced that it would stop all activities until the general assembly in June. Then the future of the organization should be decided. A law firm was commissioned with an internal investigation of the incidents.
Just a few days ago, the association fired its general manager Tony Danker for misconduct. He is accused of being intrusive towards a colleague.