Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
September 2021
Certificate for the 25th anniversary at Bosch for Giovanni Minutolo from the year 2001
© Collection Deutsches Auswandererhaus
On the occasion of World Gratitude Day on September 21, 2021
World Gratitude Day has been celebrated every year since 1977 on September 21 to remind everyone that there are things in life for which they can be grateful. Although the original intention of the UN was to thank all those who contributed to the spirit of the global community in the sense of the UN Charter, the day has always been used by many to show their fellow humans what they are grateful for.
Historical Context
From 1955 to 1973, the Federal Republic of Germany concludes agreements with other countries regarding the recruitment of workers. The foreign employees are intended to cover the local labor shortages. With decreasing demand, it is planned that they will return to their home countries. During this period, around 14 million labor migrants come to the Federal Republic of Germany, of which about 11 million return to their home countries. Approximately 3 million will stay permanently.
Early on, the term “guest worker” is predominant for the temporary labor migrants. The metaphor of the “guest” may primarily target their (planned) temporary stay; however, it also implies that the “host” can expect their “guests” to reciprocate the hospitality shown to them with gratitude. In line with this notion, a part of German society still expects “gratitude” from those who came at that time – despite the fact that there are experiences of discrimination in work, housing, or everyday life, the effects of which are still felt by subsequent generations. In particular, the children and grandchildren born and raised here of the labor migrants from that time now resist standing in a debt of gratitude. Among the former “guest workers” themselves, some, despite partly negative experiences, feel gratitude for the state they came to as young people; others, however, see no need for gratitude because they still have to fight for the recognition of their rights to equal treatment.
Short biography Giovanni Minutolo
Giovanni Minutolo is born in 1957 in the small town of Cariati Marina. In 1967, at the age of 10, he arrives in West Germany with his family from Italy. Like many of their compatriots, his family hopes for a better life in the ‘Economic Miracle.’ However, the early years are challenging for both the family and Giovanni Minutolo. As the eldest of seven siblings, he has to work as a child to support his mother, which affects his schooling. During this time, he experiences the darker sides of the so-called ‘guest worker life’ in West Germany; poorly paid and dangerous jobs, as well as discrimination and racism in daily life, shape his youth. Nevertheless, Giovanni Minutolo later finds a good apprenticeship and attends evening school, which opens up new opportunities for him in Germany. On November 8, 1976, he starts working at Bosch as a laborer, even without a school diploma. Within a few years, he rises from a production worker to group spokesperson. Over his 43-year career at Bosch, he continues to climb the ranks and works for the company abroad in countries such as Brazil and Spain. After all his negative experiences in Germany up to that point, he is now satisfied with his life.
I am grateful to Germany, … even though the first 10 years were very tough for me and my parents.
Significance of the object
With the certificate for the 25th anniversary of operations, the company formally expresses its gratitude to its long-standing employee Giovanni Minutolo in a standardized manner. This may seem impersonal; however, it does not overstress the essential human virtue of gratitude for the abstract legal-economic relationship between employer and employee. It also cannot overlook the immense emotional value that this certificate holds for its recipient, solely due to the simple fact that gratitude is being expressed from the side of a German company. In this sense of reversing the expected expression of gratitude, Chancellor Angela Merkel also addressed the former ‘guest workers’ at the ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the first recruitment agreement, saying, ‘a heartfelt thank you for all that you have done for our country.’
Do you also …
… have a migration or immigration story from your family to share and would like to donate this along with the related objects and documents to the German Emigration Center for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau at the phone number 0471 / 90 22 0 – 0 or via email at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de
Archive: Previous Objects of the Month
Display all objectsDo You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de