Published November 5, 2024 at 5:17 p.m
Foreign. Ikea in Germany has agreed to voluntarily contribute 6 million euros to a new German state fund to compensate victims of forced labor during the East German communist dictatorship. It reports CNN.
During the Cold War, prisoners, including political ones, in the East German GDR were forced to produce furniture for Ikea.
The information about the forced labor that circulated in the media in the last decade led the company to launch an independent investigation. According to the report carried out by Ernst & Young, Ikea representatives were likely aware that political prisoners were being used as labor.
East Germany, which was under Soviet occupation from 1949 to 1990, had a strict communist state and many were imprisoned for opposing the one-party system that prevailed.
Ikea’s payment is the result of several years of dialogue with the Union of Victims of Communist Dictatorship (UOGK). Walter Kadner, head of Ikea in Germany, comments:
– We deeply regret that products for Ikea were also produced by political prisoners in East Germany. We have given our word to those affected that we will contribute with support.
Dieter Dombrowski, chairman of UOGK, describes the announcement as “groundbreaking” and expresses hope that other companies will follow Ikea’s example.
Source: www.friatider.se
