61340 Vorabseiten_e - Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz

of 193, not including «half-Jews», had to leave the firm. The Jewish workers
having been given notice before the corresponding coercive legal measures came
into force, they could claim compensation. Fully aware, however, that such
claims had little chance of being brought before a court of law, the company
paid out merely a fraction of what was due:
«Since the political changes were introduced, we have given notice to 72
employees, including management staff, in accordance with the general
guidelines. In addition, 3 other workers have resigned. [...] We have paid
or at least offered compensation of 42,000 reichsmarks to the employees
that we dismissed. (According to the labour laws, compensation should be
in the order of 135,500 reichsmarks; and according to established company
practice a good deal more)». 38
Despite the meagre prospects of success, a number of employees who had been
dismissed took their former employers to court to try to obtain the compensation
they were entitled to, a settlement subsequently being negotiated. The
compensation offered, which was paid out on condition that no further claims
would be made, represented a little over one third of the amounts stipulated
under labour laws. Furthermore, like all the others, the company stopped
paying pensions to its former Jewish employees. While the compensation paid
to Anker staff by Schweizer Rück in January 1939 was not a cause of concern
for the latter, the situation changed with the turn of events in summer 1943:
«Depending on the outcome of the war, it is to be expected that Jewish
staff that have been fired [...] will make claims against Anker. Endless difficulties
may arise from this issue in the future». 39
From 1938 on, it was thus impossible for Swiss subsidiaries within Nazicontrolled
territory to avoid «Aryanisation» unless they were willing to cease
commercial operations. In many cases this involved buying back shares held by
Jews and in practically all cases it meant dismissing Jews at every level of the
company hierarchy. As regards the repurchase of Jewish-owned shares, there are
several examples of Jewish shareholders approaching their Swiss partners and
making them corresponding offers. This was an obvious solution for both sides:
a shareholder who was forced to sell his shares preferred to pass them on to a
business partner he knew rather than to an unknown person with dubious
motives and of doubtful competence. Some no doubt acted in the hope – false
as a rule – that by selling their shares in Switzerland they might be able to save
part of their assets, or at least that, in case of emigration, the former shareholder
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