The new protocol against sexual and gender-based harassment of the General State Administration, negotiated between the Independent Union Central and Officials (CSIF) and the Ministry of Finance and Public Functionhas remained frozen by the Government since November 2022. The union demands its “urgent approval” to prevent cases similar to that of Luis Rubiales from occurring in the Public Administration and, in this way, to be able to sanction situations and behaviors such as the one carried out by the Already former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation after the Women’s World Cup final.
«The Government has caught the bull with Rubiales and is applying the Sports Law of 1990», they point out from the CSIF, where they highlight that this new protocol would directly affect more than 250,000 people, not counting those who work in linked organizations or are dependent on the Public Administration. In the union, they believe that the delay is due to the changes that have occurred within the ministry, which they perceive to be pending “on other matters,” and they highlight the “pioneer” nature of the text, since among other issues “it specifically protects the collective LGTBIQ+, with a specific mention of trans people. They also aspire for it to become “a social reference to be able to sanction acts like those of Rubiales.” In the Public Administration there is no exclusive protocol to follow to sanction conduct of these characteristics. “It is something very serious that we have been denouncing for a long time,” they add.
The text has been ready for almost a year. “There was a great consensus to sign it and, after 11 months of negotiation, we even had a date to do it, but the day before they told us that, due to scheduling problems, it was being postponed,” they indicate from the union, where they claim to have not received any reason. of weight that justifies the delay. THE WORLD has contacted the Ministry of Finance and Public Function, where they have confirmed that the signing has not yet taken place, but they emphasize that “the commitment is to move it forward and it will be one of the first tasks when the government is formed.” Once signed, it will be submitted to the Council of Ministers to give it the status of a Royal Decree.
The new protocol delimits the behaviors that constitute sexual harassment, harassment based on sex, and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. The first group includes, among others, “offensive flirting, insinuating, suggestive or unpleasant comments, unwanted hugs or kisses and excessive and unnecessary physical approach” and also defines behaviors that constitute sexual blackmail, such as forcing a person to choose between submitting to sexual requirements or losing or seeing certain benefits or working conditions harmed.
In the second section, there are acts such as “sexist comments based on gender prejudice, discriminatory behavior due to being a woman or man, or assigning meaningless or impossible-to-achieve tasks to a person based on their sex.” Finally, in the third, there are attitudes such as “addressing the person in offensive ways due to their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, carrying out conduct that denotes a lack of respect for sexual and gender diversity or using sexist humor.” and humiliating for people with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual or a sexual identity other than cissexual [personas que se sienten identificada con su sexo anatómico]».