At least one of the employees involved in the complaint that Movimiento Sumar filed against former general coordinator Lara Hernández has chosen to resort to the Labor Inspectorate so that it investigates whether they were victims of workplace abuse by this leader.
According to documentation to which Europa Press has had access, on June 3, a request was registered with this body dependent on the Ministry of Labor, requesting the opening of proceedings to clarify whether the behavior attributed to Hernández could fit a case of workplace harassment.
The parliamentary group in Congress is mentioned in the complaint filed, as it is the legal entity with which the contractual relationship existed and where the reported events allegedly occurred. The person requesting the intervention of the Inspectorate worked as an advisor to the parliamentary group.
Sources familiar with the case tell Europa Press that actions have already been initiated and that an inspector has taken a statement from the complainant, who is currently no longer part of Sumar. They also add that other workers could join this complaint, even though they are aware that these types of situations are difficult to prove.
LARA HERNÁNDEZ: "I HAVE A CLEAR CONSCIENCE"
On the other hand, the former general coordinator of Sumar has indicated to Europa Press that she has not received any notification about a possible investigation by the Labor Inspectorate, although she assures that she is willing to cooperate at all times because she will be "delighted to defend herself and to demonstrate her innocence and honorability wherever necessary." Furthermore, she insisted that she has a "clear conscience."
Last Wednesday, Lara Hernández announced her departure from Movimiento Sumar after the investigation opened under the internal anti-harassment protocol was shelved due to accusations of abusive treatment towards several workers.
In that public appearance, she stressed that the complaint was promoted by six political officials and that the procedure was concluded on Sunday the 28th, when the employees mentioned in the document decided not to continue with the process. Consequently, she proclaimed her innocence, stated that she was the subject of a "brutal smear campaign," and denounced that "slander" had been spread which, in her opinion, has been proven "false."
In parallel, other sources explain that the party's anti-harassment commission informed the workers involved of the closure of the investigation, specifying that the file was being closed for procedural reasons and without ruling on the merits of the accusations.
CRITICISM OF THE INTERNAL PROCESS AND APPEAL TO THE INSPECTORATE
Furthermore, some of these employees sent a letter in which they warned that the internal commission of Movimiento Sumar "does not provide sufficient guarantees" and, for this reason, refused to give their consent for the procedure to continue.
In the same document, which Europa Press also had access to, they described this body as an "indolent space," reproached that their anonymity was not adequately protected, and regretted that their request to provisionally remove Lara Hernández while the file was being processed was rejected. In this context, several workers had already indicated that they were considering going to the Labor Inspectorate, a route that one of them has finally taken.