Vila-seca approves a protocol against sexual and workplace harassment for municipal staff

The Vila-seca City Council has approved the Protocol for the prevention and addressing of sexual harassment, harassment based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and other forms of workplace harassment. The decision was formalized on September 7, 2026, through Mayoral Decree 2026-2267, and the full text was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona on September 18, 2026, with reference CVE 2026-08553 and a length of 46 pages. The announcement was signed by the general secretary, Ignacio Río Santos, and the institutional declaration heading the document bears the signature of the mayor, Pere Segura Xatruch.

The new protocol is a revision and update of the Prevention and Against Workplace Harassment Protocol that the City Council previously had in effect, and it is created with the objective of eradicating any harassing behavior within the municipal work environment. According to the document, its preparation was made possible thanks to the joint work of the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Social Action and Equality Policies, and the union representation of the workers. The text will be in effect for four years, without prejudice to any revisions necessary to adapt it to new legal provisions or organizational changes.

Scope of application and responsible bodies

The protocol applies to all personnel of the Vila-seca City Council, regardless of hierarchical level, professional group, type of contractual relationship, or its duration. It also includes elected officials, temporary staff, scholarship holders, and interns. External companies and self-employed personnel who provide services regularly to the City Council will be informed of the existence of the protocol and may adhere to it through a signed agreement between the parties.

The regulation excludes relationships between staff and citizens: if a situation of harassment by a citizen toward a municipal worker becomes known, the entity will notify the police forces and take internal access measures.

The implementation falls upon four bodies:

• Protocol Strategic Team: dissemination, monitoring, and evaluation; meets at least twice a year and prepares an annual report.
• First Assessment Team: receives complaints, advises, accompanies, and convenes the commission; serves as the secretariat.
• Case Management Commission: opens the file, investigates, issues the conclusions report, and proposes corrective measures.
• Personnel Service: disseminates the protocol, ensures its compliance, and executes precautionary or corrective measures.

Four-phase procedure and deadlines

The action circuit is structured into four phases: information, communication and advice; internal complaint and investigation; resolution; and monitoring the evolution of the case and the well-being of the affected persons. The allegedly harassed person always has the final word on the formal activation of the procedure and may be accompanied by a person of their trust or by union representation.

The established deadlines are as follows:

• Three working days to inform persons who request it about the procedure and their rights.
• Three working days, from the receipt of the complaint, to convene the Case Management Commission.
• Twenty working days, from the convening, for the commission to issue the conclusions report, exceptionally extendable up to a maximum of 30 working days in complex cases.

During the investigation, mediation and any act of confrontation or face-to-face meeting between the parties are prohibited, and it is the responsibility of the alleged harasser to prove the absence of harassment, following the principle of reversal of the burden of proof.

Protection measures and external channels

The protocol provides for precautionary measures at any stage, such as shift changes, prohibitions on approach and communication, or restrictions on access to data, files, and spaces. If there is evidence of harassment, the initiation of a disciplinary proceeding is urged and corrective measures are applied; if the damages affect physical or psychological health, the situation is considered an occupational accident for the purposes of Royal Legislative Decree 8/2015 and Organic Law 10/2022, for the comprehensive guarantee of sexual freedom.

Outside the internal channel, the document includes the Labor Inspection and the labor, contentious-administrative, and criminal jurisdictions, as well as support resources such as the 016 telephone line, 900 900 120 of the Catalan Institute for Women, the SIAD of Vila-seca (977 390024), and the SAI network for sexual and gender diversities.

Approval entails a mandatory introductory training session for all staff and political personnel, and specific training for those involved in the investigation and the instruction of proceedings. The text must be disseminated via informative circular, on the intranet, and on the municipal website, and must also be provided to external companies working with the local Administration.

With this protocol, the Vila-seca City Council formalizes a confidential, guarantee-based circuit with fixed deadlines for any worker suffering from harassment, and establishes obligations for training and annual statistical monitoring with a gender perspective. The measure is added to the council’s internal Equality Plan between women, men, and LGBTI people, published in the same bulletin on August 26, 2026 (CVE 2026-07865), and expands the municipal commitment regarding equality and the prevention of psychosocial risks.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona, September 18, 2026, section I, pp. 1-46 (official reference: CVE 2026-08553).