Ciudadanos have called for knowledge of Catalan, and the other co-official languages around Spain (Basque, Galician and Aranese) to be removed as a requirement, although kept as a bonus, for employment in the civil service, with the aim of language not being a "barrier" to such jobs. The party's secretary general, José Manuel Villegas, announced in a press conference in the Congress, that they will register the bill in the chamber next week.
The initiative would modify the basic public employment statute to prevent the laws of an autonomous community imposing the territory's language generically, said Villegas. As such, according to Cs' proposed changes, a knowledge of Catalan could only be considered an advantage, not a requirement, within and proportional to the social context of the job.
As an example, the party's number two said that whilst being a Catalan teacher would, clearly, entail a language requirement, being a surgeon wouldn't, although such knowledge could earn points towards winning a place.
The bill comes just after the government of the Balearic Islands presented their own bill requiring doctors to speak Catalan or they won't be able to go for transfers between the islands nor enjoy any bonuses.