48-year-old Diana Sommer is the first woman ever to complete the port and terminal worker training in Esbjerg with a grade of 12. There are between 200 and 250 port workers in Esbjerg, and she is also the only woman in the group. The chairman of the port workers in Esbjerg, Brian Reichle, would like to have more women, but there are several hurdles in the way.
- We would like to have more women, but working in a port also requires some physical strength. But there are also female garbage men. It is also special because you work at different times here in Esbjerg, although it varies from port to port, explains Brian Reichle.
Diana Sommer was a single mother of four sons when she started working as a port worker in 2013.
- At first glance, it must be difficult as a single mother, even though Diana has succeeded in it. It certainly requires a good network, says Brian Reichle.
The social tone
In addition to special working hours and the physicality, there is also the thing about speaking like a dock worker.
- The tone can also be a bit sharp. We say what we mean, and then we are good friends again right afterwards. You take things as they come. Maybe you are not the best of friends afterwards when you go home - but the next day everything is forgotten, says the chairman of the dock workers.
He has no doubt why Diana Sommer has stayed in the job.
- The main reason why Diana is still here is that she has always been able to speak for herself. She is treated like one of the guys, even though she may have red nail polish on, says Brian Reichle.
There used to be two female dock workers at the dock, but they have stopped again. Brian Reichle also says that there is a female dock worker in the Port of Copenhagen.
The machines and the green transition
There is also one thing that you need to know as a dock worker.
- You need to be good with large machines. Here I am thinking of trucks, forklifts, terminal tractors. The work requires that you have a flair for driving large machines, says Brian Reichle.
Diana Sommer is one of 215 who have been trained since 2012, when the first group of dock and terminal workers was trained. Brian Reichle estimates that the total number of dock workers in Denmark is around 1,000 dock workers.
At the Transport Industry Training (TUR), which also includes the dock and terminal worker training, it is a goal that even more people should be trained. And it's not just about getting customers in the store.
- We want to increase the number of graduates, because the green transition requires educated labor, explains Jan Larsen, an internship consultant at Transporterhvervets Uddannelser (TUR), where the education is taken in Esbjerg.
The education also does something that helps build experience within a specialized area.
- The graduates are more flexible because they can do more things, and then they stay in the transport industry much longer with the education, explains Jan Larsen.
In the spring of 2024, a conference on port and terminal worker education was held, where Jan Larsen was one of the speakers. It is a conference that has already borne fruit for the education.
- The conference has brought more focus to the education, says Jan Larsen with satisfaction.
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