Erika Establés, new office secretary for Employment in the Principality

The Department of Science, Industry, and Employment of the Principality of Asturias has appointed, via the discretionary appointment system, Erika Establés Elduque to the position of office secretary of the Directorate General for Employment and Labor Affairs (code CG 2910). The appointment, agreed upon by resolution on August 19, 2026, takes effect from September 1, 2026, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias number 169.

The position was announced via resolution on July 13, 2026, by the same department, published in the BOPA number 138 on July 20, 2026. The procedure is framed within Law 2/2023, of March 15, on Public Employment of the Principality of Asturias, which reserves high-ranking secretary positions for discretionary appointment and requires that the call for applications be reasoned.

The selection process

Following the application deadline on July 17, 2026, two candidacies were received. After examining the documentation, the department found that Rafael Álvarez Rodríguez, a career civil servant of the Administrative Body of the Corvera City Council, did not meet the required affiliation requirement, as the position was open exclusively to personnel of the Administration of the Principality of Asturias; therefore, his merits were not evaluated.

• Only Erika Establés Elduque, a career civil servant of the Administrative Auxiliary Body of the Administration of the Principality of Asturias, was admitted.
• Her application was submitted on August 6, 2026.
• After evaluating her merits, a reasoned appointment proposal in her favor is included in the file, as she meets the requirements and demonstrates the necessary suitability for the position.

Legal basis

The resolution is based on Article 65 of Law 2/2023, which regulates discretionary appointment via public call, as well as Articles 3 and 21 of the Regulation for the Provision of Job Positions, Professional Promotion, and Internal Promotion for civil servants of the Principality, approved by Decree 22/93, of April 29. The authority for the provision corresponds to the regional minister in accordance with Article 16.d) of the aforementioned law.

The resolution, signed by the regional minister Borja Sánchez García, exhausts all administrative remedies. An administrative appeal may be filed before the Administrative Court of Oviedo within two months, or an optional appeal for reversal may be filed before the regional minister within one month, though both cannot be pursued simultaneously.

Relevance of the appointment

The filling of this position of trust reinforces the structure of the General Directorate of Employment and Labor Affairs, a key area for the Principality’s employment policy. The appointment by free designation, reserved for regional administration personnel, ensures that the position is held by a career civil servant with proven suitability for performing the duties of the office secretariat.

Source: Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias, no. 169 of September 1, 2026, section I (Authorities and Personnel), p. 1 (official reference: Code 2026-07068).