Scope and content
Contains:
Lists, certificates and correspondence concerning remuneration, deployment and supply of foreign workers of the GBI in Berlin, 03/31/1941- 04/10/1945.
The majority of this unit contains lists, orders, receipts and correspondence of the authority subordinate to Albert Speer, the Generalbauinspektor für die Reichshauptstadt (GBI) and its subdivisions, as well as of various construction companies concerning foreign workers who had to do (forced) labour in Berlin (among them Baustab Speer; NSKK-Transportstandard Speer; NSKK-Transportflotte Speer).
As a rule, these are persons with Dutch, Danish, Belgian and Polish citizenship, as well as "protectorate members" and so-called Ostarbeiter who had to perform forced labour for subdivisions of the GBI. Furthermore, a large proportion of the persons affected documented in this unit, are Italian workers who were recruited by Germany from Italy for construction activities from 1938 onwards. From September 1943 onwards, the status of Italian workers in Germany deteriorated dramatically.
Most of the workers were housed in ‚community‘ camps run by the German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeiterfront, DAF) in various parts of Berlin, as well as in company camps. The names and locations of the camps are mentioned in the documents contained.
Mainly documented are payment, employment, supply and dismissals of the workers. In addition, there are references to permits for holiday trips to the country of origin, comments regarding the entry of the deployed drivers into the Nationalsozialistische Kraftfahrzeugskorps (National Socialist Motor Corps, NSKK) (cf. Sign. 2007001) as well as letters concerning separate regulations and conditions for individual groups. The latter were mostly based on nationality (see form: Leave of absence for Italian workers travelling to Italy, Doc ID 71192276). So-called Ostarbeiter were not only exposed to particularly bad camp conditions, but were also paid less than workers of other nationalities (see Letter from the pay office in Wriezen to the administrative office in Berlin, concerning the adjustment of wages of Ostarbeiter, 10/01/1944, Doc ID 71194481).
The persons concerned were employed for various activities: For example, documents are included on bargemen and drivers, who were used for the NSKK transport fleet Speer or the NSKK transport standard Speer, as well as on carpenters, locksmiths, houseworkers, hairdressers and nurses, kitchen staff employed in the communal camps, canteen vendors and child carers, as well as barracks warden.
The contained correspondence refers not only to groups but also to individuals. In particular, the case of the two Polish forced laborers Marian Gierkowski and Josef Kujawinskij, who were employed as hairdressers respectively domestic workers and window cleaners at the Berliner Str. 9 office, is documented in great detail. Included are various pieces of correspondence concerning wages, clothing, food, travel and work activities (see the sub-units Sign.: 2007007-2007010).
The most commonly included document types are:
1. Monthly Lohnabschlagsauszahlungslisten (wage deduction payment lists)
2. Payment orders (2 different document types) of the GBI
3. Daily wage lists and daily wage slips of different (construction) companies (different copies)
4. Payment lists
In addition can be found:
5. Evidence of special reimbursable services provided by various construction companies
6. Receipts booking slips from the GBI's treasury (Accounting Department III)
7. Confirmations / receipts
8. Lists with details of wage payments, advance payments, etc.
9. Driving and marching orders
10. Correspondence with groups and individual workers.
In the unit there are far more documents on male than female workers.
