Object numberM2008/034:005
DescriptionSix-pages of typed documents, in German, for top management at OSRAM (a lighting fabrication company that was part of Siemens) detailing the analysis of its Jewish workers and the company's intention to create a Jew-free firm, as per Nazi ideology. The six pages consist of 3 separate documents: a one-page cover letter dated 27.6.33; a four-page detailed analysis dated 1.6.33; and a one-page summary dated 2.5.33. At the time these documents were produced, 88 OSRAM employees, or 1% of the firm's employees, were Jewish. Fifteen of them were directors or equivalent (which was 26% of directors), 20 were in charge of commercial positions (high positions) and 47 were "Union-Tariff" employees. Soon after these documents were created, the Jewish employees were sacked. These documents relate to Walter Plotke's employment at OSRAM and the eventual termination of his employment contract due to Jewish descent in 1933/1934. These documents illustrate the implementation of discrimination tactics against Jews in the German workforce during the build-up to WWII.
Production placeGermany
Production date 1933-05-02 - 1933-06-27
Subjectemployment, discrimination in employment, pre-World War II, Nazi political activities (1933-1939), antisemitism
Object nameofficial reports
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 210.00 mm
height: 330.00 mm
Language
- German (Summary of translation) Copy. About the Jewish Employees of OSRAM. As of April 1933 there are 88 employees of "non-Arian" derivation. Occupation: 15 were directors or equivalent; 20 in charge of commercial (in high) positions; 47 "Union-Tariff" employees. These 88 Jews constitute 1% of the firm's employees.
The rest of the document goes into typically German detail of the attainment of a Jew-free firm of the "near future". That will then signify the victory of the NAZI establishment.
C O P Y !
Ok Hg (Hg, an abbreviation, may mean many different things. Here, as a suggestion, it MAY mean Hauptgesamtbertriebsrat = main works council, or Hauptgeschäftsführer = main manager.)
To the boards of the German OK (?) sales stores.
Confidential!
Auss circular letter Nr. 33/23. 27.6.33
Attached, you will receive two memorandums of our joint works council for your personal information and for the announcement to your works council.
Auss P
(signed)
2 attachments
vG/G
C o p y !
About the Jewish employees at Osram
On April 1933 there were at Osram 88 employees, whose non-Arian descendance was doubtless. Of these there were active
53 in the Hg (see above for translation)
4 in work A
12 in work D
2 in the wire work
6 in WeV/Entw (?)
5 inWi/Stud (?)
6 in the sales warehouses.
Out of these, 15 were directors and proxy holders, or on a par,
20 authorized signatories and higher employees,
47 pay scale employes.
In the Hg 6% of all employees, but 26% of the directors and proxy holders, 9% of the authorized signatories, 4% of the pay scale employees and 25% of the apprentices were of nonArian descent. The importance of Jews does therefore not justify the claim that they made up only 1% of all employees, especially if one adds that the chair of the delegation and the general director as well as the manager of the main part of the sales, especially of the German sales, were Jews.
A small part of the workers were Jews.
The Jewish question (Judenfrage) was rolled up by the letter of the joint works council (attachment 1) of 2.5.33. Subsequently there happened negotiations between privy councillor Schlüpmann on one side and Pgg(=Parteigenossen= Members of the Nazi party) Laskowski or Dikow and v.Göler. In the course of the negotiations the nationalsocialist representatives insistently stressed that the management must be a purely German one. This was also explained both verbally and in writing to the Economic Policy Office of the NSDAP (=Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei = Nazi party). It escapes our judgment whether our demand contributed to the decision of Messrs. Meinhardt and Salomon to resign. (B 33/lé of 19.5., attachment 2).
At the same time Mr. Mamroth has also resigned the presidency of the delegation, which privy counsellor Bücher has taken over.
The reorganization of the board of directors is a matter for the employer.
Two possibilities arise for the action against the remaining employees:
1.) To apply the law of civil servants, which means the sacking of every employee that joined the company after 1.8.1914.- In the case of this solution all the directors and proxy holders and one-half of the employees will remain. First of all the younger pay scale employees shall lose their jobs.
2,) The fixing of a maximal, separately calculated, percentage of Jewish employees for each group of employees. In this case managing employees would have first of all to be eliminated, while the mass of pay scale employees would barely be affected.
The first option leaves the managing Jewish people their payment and position. This will be exposed continuously to attacks and their importance shall be strongly diminished under the present circumstances. In compensation any after-growth shall be cut off and in the foreseeable future the German industry of incandescent bulbs shall be free of Jews. Seen from the long-sighted viewpoint of an antisemitic policy this solution is by far the acuter one.
The fact that on the Jewish side no pressing for the second solution has happened is an internal Jewish matter and does not need to touch us. Maybe they have hoped that the enmity to the Jews would soon abate and that then the leading ranks would have a better starting point for the reconquest of the lost positions. It shall be a matter for the nationalsocialst works cell to destroy these hopes and to see that the continued remaining of older and leading Jewish employees in consistent complementation with the civil servants law be done, and that never again a Jew shall be employed at Osram, also in accordance with the civil servants law.
The management has finally conceded the application of the civil servants law, after two additional sessions on 17.5.33. 11 Jewish authorized signatories and higher employees and 25 pay scale employees shall be discharged.
The company agreed with us that then Jewish people of foreign nationality must also be discharged, as long as no foreign affairs difficulties shall develop. The discharged Jewish employees must be given notice to the earliest possible term and be dismissed as far as the business conditions permit it.
The national socialist representatives insisted, also in the opinion of the foreign policy office of the N.S.D.A.P., with whom they had a conference, that a transfer of Jewish employees to a foreign country would meet with great objections and therefore each individual case would have to investigated with their involvement.
The competent personnel departments shall investigate the cases of doubtful descendance as well as of the ex-servicemen. The nationalsocialist representatives get insight into the submitted records.
The nationalsocialist movement has thus obtained a victory, whose consequences shall only be seen in the future in their full implications. As every victory, this one also presents the task to keep alive the nationalsocialist idea and to keep the combat troops ready to fight.
Joint works council
signed Laskowski signed v.Göler
1.6.33
vG/L
The directorate
To the attention of Mr.Privy Council Schlüpmann
Joint works councel 2.5.33
The Joint works councel has accepted unanimously the following decision in its meeting of 2.5.33:
Osram is reputed to be a company being under strong Jewish influence.
In accordance with a statistic, privately set up on the part of a nationalsocialist side, and therefore probably incomplete, the Hg numbers 51 people of Jewish descent, which means 6% of all employees. The importance of this number only becomes evident, when the distribution of these persons is investigated according to their business position. 27% of all directors and proxy holders (namely 8) are persons of Jewish descent. Among the authorized signatories and higher employees 12% (namely 15) are of Jewish descent, among the pay scale employees 3% (namely 20) and finally 24% (namely 7) are apprentices of Jewish descent.
In the works the conditions seem to be similar, as is evident from a statement for the work D.
A company that as Osram is leading in its field of action in Germany and that expects recognition and protection for its work by the general public, cannot extricate itself from the general change, without conjuring an endangering of its reputation and its turnover.
The Joint works council therefore requests from the Management to take the measures that are convenient to insert the company Osram within the frame of the German life that is now coming into being.
Full freeedom is granted to the Joint company committee for the negotiations about these measures.
Sch/W
Joint works council
signed Laskowski signed v.Göler
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Ann Kirby