Das Logo der Confederation of British Industry
Which: REUTERS
Former employees of the British industry association CBI accuse colleagues of harassment and rape. Numerous companies are declaring their exit. CBI President announces that all activities of the association will be suspended by the summer
Dhe British industry association CBI (Confederation of British Industry) is struggling with a violent exodus. As the British news agency PA reported on Friday, 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.
On Friday, the “Guardian‘ reported and triggered a new wave of resignations. A woman who worked at a CBI office abroad said she was raped by colleagues after they went out together.
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 called the latest Guardian report “horrific” and offered 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.