Together announces an agreement with the Spanish government to allow large companies to serve the State in Catalan.

MADRIDTogether for Catalonia has announced an agreement with the Spanish government to require large companies to provide service in Catalan throughout the country. In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Carles Puigdemont's party stated that they have reached an agreement that "ensures citizens' right to be served in Catalan by companies." Specifically, this agreement will materialize through amendments to the future law on customer service, which is currently being processed in the Congress of Deputies and has been piloted by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption, and the 2030 Agenda, under the leadership of Pablo Bustinduy (Sumar). In fact, the agreed-upon amendments must soon be ratified in a report. The meeting was scheduled to take place this Tuesday, but was canceled, and a new date has yet to be set to begin debating the amendments. Ministry sources consulted by ARA confirm that "territories with co-official languages will be offered the possibility of making complaints to large companies in these languages," although they add that the proposal is still being processed.

Among the modifications that Junts has agreed upon with the Spanish government are mandatory training in Catalan for customer service workers, "so that they can serve customers in this language and do so with guarantees." Also noteworthy is the obligation to respond in the official language in which the customer addressed the company, so that if a person addresses the company in Catalan, the company must respond in Catalan. Written and verbal communications between the company and the customer must also be adapted to the language chosen by the customer when initiating contact. This means that if communication begins in Catalan, it must be able to continue in that language.

According to Junts, the agreement with the Spanish government affects those companies affected by the future law: that is, companies with more than 250 employees, those with an annual turnover of more than 50 million euros, or those that provide basic services of general interest, or those that also provide electricity, water, gas, or rail services. All of these, Junts assures, will have to provide service in Catalan to users who request it throughout the country.

"[With this agreement] we have managed to introduce substantial changes to the draft law on customer service, a far-reaching state law that regulates customer service for large companies and operators of basic services of general interest," Junts emphasizes. The agreement comes at a time when relations between Junts and the Spanish government are once again on the ropes, especially with the minority partner, Sumar, following the rejection by the judiciary of the reduction in working hours.