The allegations of 'harassment, mistreatment, and abuse' directed at the director of the CNIO

The director of the CNIO continues to be a topic of discussion. This time, it is due to the alleged complaints surrounding María Blasco for "harassment, mistreatment, and abuse of power."

These complaints are part of the report prepared by the center's management. It is a document that the Ministry of Science has partially shared with the board members.

The report, accessed by El Confidencial, states that the accusations against Blasco for allegedly abusive behavior have been a constant. However, there has been a significant increase from 2023 to the present. It is also noted that, allegedly, many employees have experienced similar situations, although they didn't dare to formally report them for fear of possible reprisals.

Additionally, it is mentioned that those who reported directly to the director faced pressure to support her decisions. This was under the threat of suffering negative consequences if they didn't comply. Allegedly, this included restrictions on interacting with certain colleagues or the risk of being punished for not following her will.

Due to these alleged behaviors, the supposed affected parties have indicated that the work environment was highly impacted, worsening consecutively.

In total, according to the media, there are a total of 13 complaints pointing to the director of the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas.

Authoritarian Leadership

First, she is accused of authoritarian leadership. In 2008, a researcher joined the CNIO as the director of the Cancer Cell Biology area. However, problems began in 2011 when he was appointed deputy director.

Since then, the differences with Blasco allegedly became evident, especially due to their opposing approaches to the scientific management of the center.

While Blasco advocated for a more authoritarian leadership style, the researcher disagreed with this approach. This led to constant tensions. Finally, in March 2013, he decided to resign from the position.

His resignation, communicated through an email sent to all staff, highlighted these supposed discrepancies in leadership vision.

Racism

On the other hand, she is accused of having racist behaviors, as reported, according to the media, by a researcher at the center. More specifically, she allegedly pointed out "humiliating, racist, offensive treatment and workplace and psychological harassment," according to the newspaper.

"She personally insulted me, saying the following slurs: 'Tia chula,' 'who do you think you are'..." explained the supposed victim. "I defended myself and talked to her about all the weekly reports on my work, and she didn't acknowledge them. She told me they were excuses and that 'there's no black magic here,' a comment with an extremely racist connotation referring to my race and skin color."

Violation of an essential Right

According to the media, a document from the center ensures "the violation of an essential right by unilaterally establishing a retirement policy for CNIO group leaders joined by a modification of their contractual conditions."

Harassment

In 2020, a management employee submitted a document. Allegedly, it expressed his concern about the director's constant treatment toward him, suggesting it could be a case of "harassment."

More specifically, allegedly, using "a very loud voice," she told him that "he was nobody." According to the media, the employee replied that "he was someone, and at least for the purposes of that meeting, he was a CNIO employee."

Alongside this supposed complaint, according to the media, there are other alleged complaints for the same reason. They allegedly claim "a constant pattern of harassment."