CESI vice president criticises discriminatory website

Eric de Macker, Vice-President of CESI and President of the Dutch trade union CNV Publieke Zaak, strongly criticizes the new website and hotline of Geert Wilders’ right wing PVV party, that allows Dutch to complain about Central and Eastern Europeans (CEE). “This goes completely against our values”, de Macker says.

The hotline allows Dutch to report inconveniences caused by people from CEE countries. They can also report losses of jobs due to people from CEE countries. Since they have been launched last week, the website and hotline have caused uproar throughout Europe Member States and the European Union have criticised for fear that discrimination and intolerance will be fostered by such measures.

De Macker admits that Europe is currently undergoing a huge crisis and that people easily tend to blame immigrants in difficult economic and job situations. “In an integrated EU, job seekers and employees from other Member States need our solidarity as well. This is the very basic concept of the internal market. As we can see from waves of immigration, major inflow of work force has been pretty well absorbed by Western European States.”

“Of course CNV Publieke Zaak is not a political party, but a trade union, and as such basically refrains from making political statements“, De Macker says.

“However, the principle of free movement is an accepted proceeding, it is a political reality and a fundamental right in an integrated EU and should be respected as such. As a European trade union confederation, CESI has to stand up for the rights of its members, regardless of their nationality. Our policy can therefore not include the discrimination of certain groups of workers!”