Dear Daniel,
On December 10, 2022, we learned that you had passed away. At first, we couldn’t believe the sad news.
Good memories come flooding back, and a great sadness overwhelms us.
We have lost a great man, a great trade unionist and a great friend of animals.
It seems to us that your trade union involvement dates back to 1981, one of the greatest wage conflicts in the history of the European institutions, provoked by the Council’s refusal to extend the automatic pay adjustment method (invented by our former honorary president, Ludwig Schubert).
At the time, you were a local agent at the Council restaurant and already an active activist. Shortly afterwards, the local agents at the Council restaurant were given tenure, and you were elected to the Executive Committee of US Bruxelles, in a team that included Keith Mellor, Hanne Jensen, Hans Lund, Jacqueline Willems and Günther Lorenz. You served on the committee until your retirement, as Organizing Secretary. You were also a member of the Personnel Committee and various joint bodies for many years.
Constantly scouring the corridors, you always favored direct contact with the rank and file, i.e. with your colleagues on the Board and Union Syndicale members. You had an exceptional talent for this, and succeeded in convincing many colleagues to join Union Syndicale.
You demonstrated unrivalled human contact, sensitivity and listening skills. Thanks to your seriousness, great intelligence, loyalty and unparalleled dedication, we could always count on you.
In 1991, you played an active part in organizing the strikes and other actions that enabled the staff to win again and obtain a new method of automatic pay adjustment.
You were also present during the negotiation of the 2004 reform, notably on the High-Level Body, whose chairmanship you proposed to Niels Ersbøll, former Secretary General of the Board.
When you retired from the Council, you didn’t rest, but embarked on new adventures with your wife Katrin: animal protection. You devoted an enormous amount of time and money to the “Clos de l’Olivier” shelter. Even alone, after Katrin’s death, you continued to manage this wildlife revalidation center.
Finally, you found a new love and a new happiness. We hoped that you would be able to enjoy it for many years to come, but unfortunately this was not to be.
Dear Daniel, on behalf of Union Syndicale we thank you for all you have done for Union Syndicale, for your colleagues and for the animals.
Goodbye, dear friend!
The Executive Committee / Council
