“We live and die with Lübeck harbour. We have to take whatever they throw at us.” That is dockworker and shop steward Frank Harksen’s clear description of the special situation of the dockworkers that are allotted to a different shipping company every day. Although the staff workers at the docks have a wage guarantee, their overall employment situation is not secure. The film is one of a ten-part documentary series shot as part of a social sciences research project at the University of Bremen. It uses interviews and observational footage to reveal the physical strains and health hazards to which the dockworkers, often working in life-threatening conditions, are subject. Even today, the film captures our interest with its personal force of expression and documentary accuracy.