Brussels, 07/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - The General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, Emilio Gabaglio, described the farce of Durban as, "a slap in the face of all those who suffer racism and xenophobia, but also for those who fight for the elimination of such discrimination". The ETUC General Secretary also appealed to, "the European governments to launch a message to the world expressing their wish to contribute to the elimination of all forms of racism and xenophobia".
In an ETUC press release reminding European social partners of the joint declaration they had made in 1995 on the prevention of racial discrimination and the promotion of equal treatment in the workplace, the ETUC highlighted the "uncompromising attitude of some countries" that made it impossible to make progress in Durban. The ETUC also emphasised that the outline of their declaration had been reflected in several collective agreements since 1995.