Former Flextronics staff still unemployed in Denmark

Flextronics closed its plant in Denmark last year, putting more 200 people out of a job. Now, according to a report by Skive municipality, around 80 of a total 212 former Flextronics employees have found jobs. However the local trade union ,3F, believes the situation is a little worse. “There is a little problem about this because sometimes when you ask our employment center here in Denmark they say more and the Union where I come from say there is not so many who have found a job,” says Carina Olesen, a 3F secretary. “100 persons from Flextronics are members of my Union and about 40 or 50 (of them) have a job now, the rest is unemployed,” Olesen says. Oleson estimated between 60 and 70 former employees had found employment in total. “Most of the people who have a found the jobs are the people who have an education. Most of the people who are members of my Union, they only have the basic schooling,” said Olesen. Olesen says that most of the employees, especially senior unskilled employees, have not found jobs. “So both my union and the employment center, have to make a special effort for the employees from Flextronics,” she continues. “During the last 3½ years we have lost about 25% of the jobs in the industrial factories in Skive. Because of that, the unemployed from Flextronics will have some problems to find a new job. From 3F in Skive, we naturally will do what`s possible to help them".