Many women working for Britain’s largest employers’ union, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), argue that were victims of sexual harassment, even rapeby its leaders, according to a survey published today by The Guardian newspaper.

These revelations have been published for less than a month following the departure of CBI chairman Tony Danker, who was accused of misconduct which is equivalent to “sexual harassment” in the workplace.

The CBI has launched an internal investigation, which it has commissioned a law firm, to look into the allegations.

According to the new accounts published by the newspaper – and which do not involve Danker – more than a dozen women who work or have worked in the past for the CBI, say that they were victims of “various forms of inappropriate sexual behavior by the officers” of the confederation. One of them even said she was raped during a party on a boat on the Thames in 2019, while another claimed she was sexually assaulted at the same event.

Others spoke of inappropriate behavior by executives towards their younger colleagues. They all reported one “misogynistic and toxic” climate within the CBI.

The paper says the CBI has widened the probe to include the new allegations. “We will not hesitate to take the necessary measures once the investigation is complete” the confederation announced.