“contract”. This document was a bilateral agreement between the Polish agricultural worker and the German employer, specifying the duties and commitments of this relation. It was implemented in the “Old Reich” in the city of Deimler, district of Soltau. In the case of a worker his responsibilities were described in detail. For example, if working on a farm it would be noted the number of equipment for which he was responsible, if there was additional support of other staff in cleaning the farm buildings, etc. The fourth article of this contract stated that, starting from 19th of December 1943, every third Saturday would be a day off for the worker. The subsequent point was about wages. The sixth point established that the employer should give a four weeks’ notice before firing the worker. An analysis of the content leads to the conclusion that the parties acted as equal partners, that there was a certain freedom shaping the employment relationship. The employers defined specifically the obligations of the workers and also their salary.
One of the fundamental laws that discriminated the workers was a regulation depriving them entirely the possibility of making a contract for themselves, of choosing the type of work, the duration of the work, or of rescinding a contract of employment. The Poles from the occupied areas did not have contracts. They were displaced of work according to the employers needs. And when the employee was to be released from work the employer would give a two weeks’ notice. (In this particular contract it was four weeks.) The termination of the contract had to be reported and accepted by the Labor Office. The Office was also able to reject the request for dismissal of workers or to suspend the deployment of new workers to the employers.