A three-week
investigation conducted by Newsday has uncovered that Steven Taruona, the
company’s branding manager, stands accused of making persistent sexual advances
towards several female subordinates, including married women.
Despite a
formal complaint having been lodged with the human resources department,
internal sources fear a cover-up is looming.
Multiple
sources within the company confirmed that the case is being treated as top
secret by senior management.
“What I know is
ZLT managers are trying to sweep this matter under the rug, fearing the
precedent it will set,” said a junior officer who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
Another source
claimed that a culture of fear has silenced many of the affected women.
“It’s true that
the victims are suffering quietly. They fear they will be targeted and
victimised. This is a big scandal at the organisation,” the source said.
“Marriages are
being torn apart due to sexual harassment at work.”
According to a
top official, several women at the company’s head office were subjected to
relentless sexually provocative messages and verbal comments by Taruona.
“The victim and
other female colleagues endured sexual harassment over years by the same
suspect.
“The women
lacked the courage to report the abuser because he is their direct boss,”
another source revealed.
However, one
woman recently broke the silence and formally lodged a complaint with human
resources director Ed Chisi.
“The affected
women feared victimisation until one victim could no longer stomach it and
reported the matter,” a male source stated.
“Internal
hearings have been going on, but there is growing concern that the case may not
see the light of day.
“The top
managers want to silence the victims.”
Repeated
efforts by NewsDay to get an official comment from ZLT were fruitless.
Paul Grainger,
the operations director, acknowledged the inquiry via WhatsApp and promised
that Chisi would contact this publication.
But he never
did.
Taruona said he was unaware of the investigation. “Surprisingly, I am not in the know about what you are talking about,” he said in a WhatsApp chat.
“Interestingly,
I am not aware of anything relating to the subject matter.”
He later
demanded to know the source of the information.
An insider said
harassment was not isolated infringement within the tobacco sector.
“I cannot rule
out issues of sexual harassment in the tobacco sector where the most vulnerable
are the women employed on the floors on short-term contracts,” the official
said.
“Vague
contracts and threats of dismissal can put these women at great risk.”
The Labour Act
explicitly prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace, defining it as
unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that causes offence, humiliation or
intimidation. The law mandates employers to prevent harassment, investigate
allegations thoroughly and protect complainants from retaliation. Newsday
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