PoliticsPIP qualifies as "abuse of rights" the administrative complaint filed by the Office of the Women's Ombudsman

PIP qualifies as “abuse of rights” the administrative complaint filed by the Office of the Women’s Ombudsman

The Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) described as an “abuse of the right” the administrative process that initiated the Office of the Women’s Advocate (OPM) against the community -which could imply the imposition of fines amounting to $30,000- in the absence of protocols and regulations to handle cases of workplace harassment and sexual harassment at work.

While acknowledging that the OPM is empowered to investigate and initiate administrative proceedings, the PIP’s vice president, Mary of Lourdes Santiago, questioned the reasons behind the filing of the complaint, in which, he said, “it is not imputed” that the community “has committed any act of workplace harassment or harassment, or of any kind.” “And whoever says otherwise is lying conscientiously,” she asserted.

Santiago announced that the complaint filed by the former attorney Lersy Borianow assigned to the undersecretary of the Department of State, is the beginning of an adjudicative process and that the PIP will be presenting, within the stipulated term of 30 days, its response to the allegations included in the document. “This great discovery by Ms. Boria that there were no protocols in the PIP is nothing more than the repetition of what we have been saying since June in all the interviews,” Santiago asserted.

He added that, once the complaints of sexual harassment and workplace harassment, which emerged publicly in June, were revealed and investigated, the community admitted that -as an employer- it had failed to comply with the aforementioned protocols. “The protocols have already been worked on, drafted and presented to the OPM, so the PIP is now in full compliance,” Santigo affirmed when arguing that the requested impositions are excessive and driven by elements that are not supported by law.

At least three women reported having been victims of sexual harassment and/or workplace harassment by community officials. To investigate the accusations, the community appointed a special commission that concluded, on July 9, that there was no conduct constituting workplace harassment or sexual harassment.

Regarding the accused, identified as Eliezer Rios, the commission concluded that he did not engage in such conduct. Santiago reported today that Rios, who worked as a legislative adviser in his office, resigned from the position on July 22 after determining “that the emotional cost and for the office had been too much.” “It has been a very painful matter for his family.”Santiago said when maintaining that Rios was “unjustly accused”, as “the OPM complaint certifies”.

According to the complaint, “the first and only protocol that the PIP has had to prevent and manage cases of sexual harassment at work was approved and came into force on June 28.” Regarding the document, “Policy and protocol to prevent and prohibit sexual harassment in employment”, the OPM alleges, that “it was designed and drafted in a hasty and negligent manner, in a process that lasted just 12 days.” “All of this is false,” Santiago pointed out.

“Mrs. Boria does not make any accusation of violation of the law beyond transcribing a few sentences that are in the documents that we ourselves delivered to her, nothing more. If there had been the slightest evidence of harassment, digital harassment, sexual harassment, Mrs. Boria had ample opportunity to make determinations on thatSantiago said.

“The only certain fact, which according to attorney Boria deserves the punishment of $30,000, is that the PIP did not have protocols and regulations for its employees. under Law 17, which is the “Sexual Harassment at Work” law, and “Law 90 of 2020, which is the “Labor Harassment Law,” said Santiago, who expressed concern about the leaking of documents that they are part of what was delivered to OPM.

For his part, the general secretary of the PIP, Juan Dalmau Ramirez. He maintained that the document issued by the OPM “validates the work carried out by the special commission.” “It does not indicate any illegal action with respect to the alleged actions and only indicates the absence of two protocols, with which we have already complied,” he indicated.

Dalmau Ramirez described as “coincidence” that the complaint came to light just after it was published that the community leads the economic collections and that the former governor for the New Progressive Party (PNP), Wanda Vazquez, was arrested last Thursday.

“And, on Friday the 5th (August), in her last act, just before leaving the Attorney General’s Office, Mrs. Lersy Boria sent this document riddled with legal falsifications and political manipulations; and as a reward for her they appoint her to a position in the State Department with a big salary, but without real functions. That is the context in which we have handledDalmau argued.

Specifically, the PIP is exposed to three separate fines of $10,000 each for failing to comply with Acts 17 of 1988; 90 of 2020; and 20 of 2011 on “the Office of the Women’s Ombudsman”, for its “gross, prolonged and uninterrupted failure to comply with its legal obligation to implement public policy in favor of women.”

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