Brussels, 23/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - The newly elected General Secretary of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) and member of the European Economic and Social Committee (Various Interests group), Bernd Rupp, insisted to EUROPE on the need for "joint work and discussion with other trade union organisations, with respect for small and minority trade unions". Appealing to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to open dialogue with CESI, Bernd Rupp considered that "participation by the latter in European social dialogue would be an enrichment". "For now there is a gap between CESI and ETUC, a gap that must be filled" in a diversified Europe, mainly concerning social security and social policy issues, he affirmed saying that "ETUC calls to have a monopoly of representativeness in the European labour world, which is an archaic conception, but the interests defended are the same".
Regarding the plans to close down companies by different multinationals, Bernd Rupp declared that, whatever the legal instrument is, the important thing is for there to be "real information and prior discussion" with trade union organisations in order to find solutions with the employers.