Unions are still unclear about what is happening with the decree regarding the use of Catalan in the health service. Two months ago, it was announced that there would be language regulation of staff working for IB-Salut, but the unions have yet to receive information from the government.
At a meeting mainly to discuss professional categories, the IB-Salut human resources director, Biel Lladó, was asked to clarify the situation. There was no response. Natalia Valdés of the CCOO union said: "They haven't clarified anything." Guillem Vila of the CSIF added: "If they finally present us with something that only benefits doctors and nurses, then we will challenge it."
The intention of the decree is that all health service staff can communicate adequately in Catalan. There is provision in the decree for language training, but the government is running up against a problem in that it is unlikely to be able to cover all posts because of this language stipulation. It is thought that PSOE want to modify the decree (the health minister is from PSOE), while Més are insisting on the Catalan requirements.
For the Partido Popular, its spokesperson Marga Prohens says that if the PP win the next election, one of the first things they will do is repeal the "Armengolisation" of the health service.