“Sooo… Is someone going to help you with that?”

Help me with what?

“The container lift”

Diana Sommer, a 48-year-old mom of 4 boys living in Esbjerg, has had to put up with a lot of nonsense since her start as a base worker in Mønstringshuset 11 years ago. 

So, when a truck driver sceptically looked at the 158 cm tall, pink safety helmet-wearing base worker who just got off the reach-stacker to get ready to lift his container, he said: “I’m not taking responsibility for that.”

“You don’t have to. But do you mind getting out of my way so I can continue,” she replied.

Jump in the harbour!

On September 25th Diana became the first female skilled base worker in Denmark, and she was the only woman in the programme. 

Today, her colleagues at the port of Esbjerg know very well, that Diana knows what she’s doing. Since her start at Mønstringshuset they have learned that she has a comeback ready if they act too smart.

“At first a lot of them told me to jump in the harbour and that there was no place for women here. I told them that old men didn’t belong here either.” She says. 

It all culminated when she received an anonymous threatening letter in her mailbox at home. That was unpleasant: but the foreman at Mønstringshuset took to her defence and said that she had just as much right to be working at the harbour as everyone else, and if anyone felt otherwise, they were welcome to take it up with him first. That helped:

“That support has been important for me being here and loving my work,” She says:

“I am one of the guys now. I feel respected and I even think I can sense some pride in some of my colleagues from being part of a workplace that has room for a female base worker.”

Diana Sommer started her job at NorSea Denmark last year and shortly afterwards the idea of converting the many years of work at the port into an actual education came to her.

“When we started looking into the programme, there was a lot that I could get merit for. But if NorSea hadn't supported and pushed me, then I probably wouldn't have become an apprentice. I'm glad they did,” Diana says.