Slaughterhouse workers are a great bunch of people. They are unstoppable, and simply knuckle down and get on with their lives, says Dan Sørensen, former union representative and job bank manager at the slaughterhouse in Hurup, with a big smile on his face. And he has every reason to be happy. Only seven months after the job bank opened at the slaughterhouse in Hurup, he has helped 147 of his former colleagues at the slaughterhouse to find new work. Which leaves only four who are still unemployed.

It has been a great success. Most of my colleagues soon found new work. But, of course, it’s not what it was like compared to six months ago, he says.

Different jobs
The task of being a helping hand for his colleagues is one that he has taken very seriously. On 31 March 2008, the employees were reluctantly told that Hurup would be closing on 20 June 2008 – and the next day he started looking at the paperwork.

I drove round to local companies and told them about my colleagues. Most of them are now scattered around factories throughout Thy, while 30 have ended up at the window manufacturer Idealcombi, reports Dan Sørensen in October 2008.

Other employees have decided to take an HGV driving test and found work as drivers, and one, who was a qualified accountant, has started his own business.

I have relished the experience, and it has been an interesting challenge even though it is a job which I would obviously rather not have had to do.