IKEA has announced that it intends to contribute six million euros to the financial compensation of former prisoners in Eastern prisons Germany who participated in forced labor for the benefit of Western companies.

The Swedish company is thus going to fulfill a promise it had already given since 2012, when the first related report was published. According to her, West German companies were also involved in the forced labor system.

Praise for the company’s attitude

The fact that IKEA is leading this effort is of historic importance, as the Bundestag representative for the support of the victims of the former East Germany, Evelyn Zupke, told DW, adding that in this way the company is taking responsibility. “This also shows us in a characteristic way how we can even today help people who suffered under the dictatorship.”

The economic support program is expected to be ratified by the Bundestag by the end of the year. Until now such programs existed only in the East German states and only victims of the dictatorship with a place of residence in the territory of the former GDR had a claim for compensation – thus, those who live in the western part today were left empty-handed.

The money is enough to compensate 2,000 victims

According to Tzupke, IKEA’s money is enough to financially support around 2,000 victims. The commissioner hopes now more than ever that other German companies will decide to contribute to this special fund: “In particular I wish companies like Aldi and Otto [οι οποίες επωφελούνταν επίσης από την καταναγκαστική εργασία στη ΛΔΓ] to finally deal effectively with the matter”.

However, neither these nor other companies have been willing to compensate the victims of forced labor.

Which companies benefited?

Last April the Humboldt University of Berlin published a study with numerous cases of victims of forced labor.

According to the data of the study, the prisoners involved in the forced labor made, among other things, women’s tights sold in Aldi stores, cameras for Quelle and Otto, cassettes for the Magna company. And in this way the communist regime of the GDR collected the foreign exchange it urgently needed from the capitalists abroad.

The system of forced labor in East German prisons existed for decades, according to the research: “From the 1950s until the end of the GDR, 15,000 to 30,000 prisoners were forced to work a year – and they worked in fields that working citizens did not want to work in.” because of the bad working conditions”.

Those who resisted were isolated

Resisting prisoners risked inhumane punishments: “Failure to comply inevitably led to disciplinary measures ranging from the deprivation of privileges, such as the prisoner’s ability to receive parcels and visitors, to the penalty of complete solitary confinement minimal food”.

IKEA arrived at the amount it is going to contribute to support the victims based on the data of the investigation but also based on its own estimates. But other companies prefer to stick to their words. “We deplore and condemn the forced labor of political prisoners and prisoners to produce goods, an apparently common practice in the former GDR,” an Aldi spokesperson commented after the study was published.

Aldi following IKEA’s example is unlikely. “Due to the long time distance from the incidents we are not able to examine the relevant details and establish what we need to arrive at a compensation”, explains the Aldi company.

Therefore, IKEA will remain the only company contributing to the program for the time being.

The wish of a forced labor victim

IKEA’s decision is the result of years-long talks between the Swedish company, Evelyn Tschupke and the Union for Victims of the Communist Dictatorship. Dieter Dombrowski, president of the union, was himself a victim of forced labor in a GDR prison in the 1970s. Today Dombrowski wishes only one thing: “That IKEA and other companies follow the example.”

Edited by: Giorgos Passas