Portos de Galicia renews the personnel representative on its Governing Council

The Minister of the Sea, Marta Villaverde Acuña, has ordered the dismissal of Javier Novoa Casado and the appointment of David Cota Mascuñana as a member of the Governing Council of the public business entity Portos de Galicia, representing its staff. Both decisions were adopted through simple orders dated October 20, 2026, signed in Santiago de Compostela. They are published in the Diario Oficial de Galicia (DOG) no. 201, Thursday, October 22, 2026, in section II, Authorities and personnel.

The Governing Council is the superior collegiate management body of Portos de Galicia, as established by article 13 of Law 6/2017, of December 12, on the ports of Galicia. The ninth transitional provision of that regulation, added by article 17 of Law 3/2018, of December 26, on fiscal and administrative measures, maintains in force—until the number of members, composition, and substitution regime are regulatorily established—the provisions set out in articles 10 and 11 of the Portos de Galicia Regulations, approved by Decree 227/1995, of July 20.

The competence to appoint members corresponds to the head of the department competent in port matters, according to article 13.2 of Law 6/2017. In the case of the staff membership, article 10.2.f) and article 10.6 of the regulations require that the appointment be made upon the proposal of the Presidency of the entity, taking into account the proposal made by the staff representative bodies. Both orders of October 20 expressly state that they are issued “given the proposal made by the president of the public business entity Portos de Galicia”.

A membership reserved for workers

The position that is now changing holders is not one of free political appointment: it is reserved for the representation of the staff of the public business entity itself. The regulations thus configure a specific seat for workers within the body that directs the port entity, distinct from the ten members who represent the regional Administration.

The dismissal of Javier Novoa Casado is agreed “thanking him for the services rendered”, the usual formula in dismissals published in the bulletin. The appointment of David Cota Mascuñana covers that same membership, also representing the staff, meaning the substitution is completed in a single administrative move.

Four orders and two reliefs in the same bulletin

DOG no. 201 publishes four orders from the Ministry of the Sea regarding the Governing Council of Portos de Galicia, two of them signed on October 20 and two on October 15:

• Dismissal of Javier Novoa Casado as a member representing the staff (p. 53316; CVE jhzifst8-bg32-58c5-bij0-nuqht7brafv5).
• Appointment of David Cota Mascuñana to that staff membership (p. 53318; CVE vjdmild6-9av9-wrl6-pco9-qmbvd9jt6eq7).
• Dismissal of Marta Barreiro Castro as a member representing the Department of the Sea (p. 53315; CVE jp8k1wb6-qfm3-tuf2-8l10-eyufzhoqrxt4).
• Appointment of María Luisa Boquete Pumar to that departmental membership (p. 53317; CVE aeyoxvq0-t8d3-6cv5-s9l4-cnpchs0n9id1).

Both orders of October 15 base their motivation on article 10.3 of the regulation, which establishes that, of the ten members representing the autonomous Administration on the Governing Council, two shall do so representing the Department of the Sea. In other words, the department led by Marta Villaverde Acuña simultaneously renews its own seat and the staff membership.

Publication and scope of the decision

The dismissals are included in section A) of part II, Authorities and personnel, and the appointments in section B) of the same part, all signed by the regional minister in Santiago de Compostela. The published text does not incorporate deadlines or additional conditions: it is limited to ordering the dismissal and appointment of the cited persons.

The joint publication of the four acts in the same issue of the bulletin evidences a coordinated renewal of the institutional and labor representation in the governing body of the port entity, without the orders detailing the reasons for the replacement beyond the proposal of the Presidency.

The staff membership provides voice and vote in the superior management body of Portos de Galicia, so the change of holder directly affects the workers’ ability to intervene in the decisions of the public business entity that manages the regional port network. For the port and fishing sector, which depends on the infrastructure and services of this entity, the replacement introduces a new interlocutor in a collegiate body that decides on the orientation of port activity in Galicia.

Source: Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG), no. 201, October 22, 2026, section II. Authorities and personnel, p. 53318 (official reference: vjdmild6-9av9-wrl6-pco9-qmbvd9jt6eq7).