Portaje approves a protocol against gender-based violence and harassment

The plenary session of the Portaje City Council approved, in an ordinary session on October 1, 2026, the Action Protocol against gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace applicable to municipal public employees. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Cáceres, number 0196, dated October 13, 2026, within Section I of Local Administration, and enters into force the day following its official publication, with indefinite validity.

Unanimous approval by the plenary and entry into force

The plenary session was attended by the seven members of the corporation, who adopted the agreement in three points. The first approves the protocol, the full text of which is incorporated as an annex. The second sets the entry into force for the day following its publication in the provincial gazette and an indefinite validity, without prejudice to the periodic updates or revisions provided for in the document itself. The third empowers the personnel department to ensure maximum internal dissemination of the text among all staff.

The announcement was signed in Portaje on October 6, 2026, by the mayor, David Ramos Sánchez, and spans pages 23218 to 23227 of the gazette, with the official reference BOP-2026-4779.

Accreditation, communication, and activation within 48 hours

The protocol applies to all women with an employment relationship with the Portaje City Council who are victims of gender-based violence. Victim status is accredited through:

• A conviction sentence for a crime of gender-based violence.
• A protection order or other judicial resolution with a precautionary measure in favor of the victim.
• A report from the Public Prosecutor’s Office indicating evidence of gender-based violence.
• A report from social, specialized, or shelter services of the competent administration.
• Exceptionally and for reasons of urgency, a reasoned request without prior documentary accreditation, without prejudice to its subsequent provision.

The communication, which is private but not anonymous, is sent by email to the enabled address or to the reference person chosen by the complainant within the Equality Commission. The situation may be reported by the victim themselves, the legal or union representation of the staff, and any other person aware of the facts. Upon receiving the notice, the reference person has a maximum period of 48 hours to inform, advise, and accompany the affected person.

Labor rights and zero tolerance in the workplace

The text details the labor measures applicable while the victim status is accredited:

• Total or partial absences considered justified.
• Reduction of working hours or reorganization of working time, with full pay when the reduction is one-third or less.
• Preference in the application of teleworking whenever possible.
• Suspension of the contract by decision of the female worker, with a maximum initial duration of six months.
• Leave of absence without a minimum requirement of previous service, with the position reserved during the first six months and an extension of three months up to a maximum of eighteen.
• Full pay during the first two months of leave.

In the strictly professional sphere, acts constituting gender-based violence are considered a very serious labor offense and may lead to disciplinary sanctions, including separation from service or dismissal. If the aggressor works in the same center, organizational measures will be arranged so that they do not coincide temporally or geographically, with special diligence to avoid infringing upon the fundamental rights of both the victim and the alleged aggressor.

Monitoring, composition, and appeals

The Equality Commission assumes the monitoring of cases, the assessment of the usefulness of the measures, and the proposal of improvements, and will inform the legal representation of the workers of the number of cases and the measures applied. Its composition includes:

• On behalf of the city council, the Mayor’s Office and one public employee.
• On behalf of the legal representation of the workers, one union representative for each organization with a presence in the council.
• One public employee with personnel functions, who acts as the secretary of the meetings with voice and vote.

The protocol is based on Organic Law 1/2004, of December 28, on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender-Based Violence, whose article 32 provides for the articulation of action protocols, and on articles 1.1, 9.2, 10.1, 15, and 17 of the Spanish Constitution. An administrative appeal (recurso contencioso-administrativo) may be filed against the agreement before the Contentious-Administrative Court of Cáceres within two months, or optionally a request for reversal (recurso de reposición) within one month in accordance with Law 39/2015, of October 1.

The approval makes Portaje one of the municipalities in Cáceres that provides its staff with a regulated procedure to detect and act against gender-based violence, with guarantees of confidentiality and a closed catalog of labor rights. The protocol is binding for the entire municipal structure, and non-compliance in the workplace may lead to disciplinary sanctions, including dismissal.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Cáceres, no. 0196, October 13, 2026, Section I - Local Administration, pp. 23218-23227 (official reference: BOP-2026-4779).