Arbeitsamt in occupied Poland
Their primary task was to register the Polish labor force and shape employment policy in a way that would allow for its maximum exploitation for the benefit of the Third Reich.
That same year, the freedom of German workers to change their place of employment was restricted, and a system of official work assignment was introduced.
[1] In 1942, Arbeitsamt, along with the entire executive apparatus of the Reichsarbeitsministerium, were subordinated to the General Plenipotentiary for Employment (Generalbevollmächtigte für den Arbeitseinsatz), Fritz Sauckel.
[4] Shortly thereafter, by decree of Hans Frank on 26 October 1939, the obligation to work for Poles and forced labor for Jews was introduced in the territory of the General Government.
[11] Between 8 and 21 September, employment offices were organized in Częstochowa, Piotrków Trybunalski, Radomsko, Kielce, Sandomierz, Radom, Kraków, Nowy Sącz, and Tarnów.
[8] They supervised the Main Employment Offices (Hauptstelle), located in the capitals of individual regions, and their branches (Nebenstelle), which were established in district towns.
[18] If someone registered as unemployed due to illness, disability, or temporary closure of their workplace, the Arbeitsamt could assign them to unpaid odd jobs (up to 48 hours per week).
[21] The offices also had the authority to interfere in employer-employee relations (especially in areas like wages, leave, and benefits) – primarily to prevent local employment from becoming more attractive than being sent to work in Germany.
[24] To strengthen control over employment, the Arbeitsamt in the General Government issued so-called work cards (Arbeitskarte), introduced in late 1940.
[30] The Arbeitsamt also oversaw vocational training centers, though their curricula were structured in such a way that Polish workers could not achieve the status of skilled laborers.
[33] A commonly used method was for the Arbeitsamt to issue personalized summons, requiring individuals to report at a specific time and place, under the threat of severe penalties, for transportation to the Reich.
Additionally, with the support of the local German minority, they were able to establish a high degree of police and administrative control over the Polish population.
[22] From that point on, cooperation between the Arbeitsamt, German police formations, paramilitary groups, and the general economic administration steadily increased.
[35] In the spring of 1940, during a recruitment campaign for agricultural work in Germany, Polish village heads, mayors, and city officials were required to prepare lists of individuals selected for departure.
[36] Those who boycotted the summons, as well as their families, faced penalties, including fines, withholding of benefits, property confiscation, imprisonment, or deportation to concentration camps.
[36] Another method of obtaining labor, commonly used in the General Government, were łapanki (roundups), which were conducted on city streets and at train stations.
[41] Forced labor roundups also occurred in the territories annexed to the Reich, though less frequently and primarily in large cities, where there were greater opportunities to evade personalized summons.
[33] Additionally, throughout all occupied areas, it was common practice that during pacification or deportation actions, some of the able-bodied individuals were detained and handed over to the Arbeitsamt.
[44] On the other hand, Czesław Łuczak points out that in the annexed territories, the effectiveness of the Arbeitsamt was much higher, especially in smaller towns where it was nearly 100%.
Nazi propaganda, which tried to entice Poles to go to Germany by presenting the illusion of supposedly good living conditions awaiting volunteers, was exposed and debunked.
[42] Partisan units of the Home Army and Peasant Battalions attacked offices and their branches, ransacking premises and destroying records of individuals designated for deportation.
[50] In Warsaw, members of the Wawer [pl] organization smashed windows and destroyed displays in Arbeitsamt offices and recruitment centers.
[50] The actions of the resistance caused significant disruptions to the functioning of the occupational labor administration, often effectively paralyzing recruitment in certain areas.
[42] On 9 April 1943, soldiers of the Kedyw of the Praga Subdistrict of the Home Army successfully assassinated the head of the Warsaw Arbeitsamt, Curt Gregor Hoffman.
[51] Several other officials of the Warsaw Arbeitsamt were also killed by verdicts of the Polish Underground State: Hugo Dietz (13 April 1943), Fritz Geist (10 May 1943), Wilhelm Lübbert (1 February 1944), and Eugen Bollongino (8 June 1944).
