Compensation deadline extended for Nazi-era slave/forced laborers (08/05/01)

Compensation deadline extended for Nazi-era slave/forced laborers

by Nikolas Tysiak
Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - During World War II, many residents of Eastern Europe were taken by the Nazi regime from their homelands to Germany where they were forced to work in camps or factories. Last year the German Parliament voted unanimously to allocate funds compensating these forced laborers, who today are spread out across the globe. A new deadline of December 31 has been set for individuals filing claims for compensation.

Money for the compensation fund is supplied partly by the German government and partly by German corporations that participated in the forced labor program over 50 years ago. Daimler-Chrysler, Bayer, BMW and others used forced labor and have contributed to the fund of well over 8 billion DM.

Many class action lawsuits had been initiated against these German companies, causing the companies to believe that a compensation fund would not necessarily halt the launching of lawsuits. Thus, before these companies agreed to the compensation program, they sought promises from the United States that protection from additional class-action lawsuits would be provided. (The countries of Europe, where many claimants live, do not allow class-action lawsuits, while the United States does.)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was given the responsibility of distributing compensation payments to individual claimants. Over 157,000 claims have been filed with the IOM, and a total of 200,000 claims are expected by the time the program ends.

Initial estimates had anticipated only about 75,000 claimants, which is a major reason for the extension of the initial deadline of August 11. Victims' organizations from around the globe requested the extension, as they struggled to keep up with the level of response. The program marks the first time slave labor and forced labor camp survivors are being directly compensated.

Previously, German reparations for these crimes have been made from government to government. The German Parliament also has decided to let the descendants of camp laborers file for compensation, but only within six months of a relative's death.

To make a claim, individuals must fill out an application, show adequate documentation of their imprisonment and meet certain eligibility criteria. Claimants in the United States may obtain applications at the following address: International Organization for Migration - German Forced Labor Compensation Program (GFLCP), 1752 N St., NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036.

Dirk De Winter, director of IOM's German Forced Labor Program, stated: "We are very glad that our elderly claimants who are spread all over the world have been given more time to file their claims and to search for supporting evidence. However, we still encourage all claimants to file their claims with IOM as soon as possible." Most claimants are now between 70 and 90 years old.

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