Certificate, 1968
This certificate is a confirmation from the Dravograd Employment Office that the seller Alojzija Pušnik signed a one-year employment contract from August 1968 to August 1969 with Nordsee in Bremerhaven. In the late 1960s, 24-year-old Alojzija Pušnik (now Wilmes) from Dravograd in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia) learns from a notice at the local employment office that the company Nordsee in Bremerhaven is looking for female workers for a period of one year. The young woman has not had an easy life so far. Her parents are divorced, which affects their relationship with their children. With a sudden decision, the young woman applies for the job and gets hired. Her father reminds her to not forget where she comes from when she is in Germany. Since the 1950s, the industry in West Germany has been growing, along with the demand for more workers. Until 1973, the Federal Republic actively recruits workers from Spain, Greece, Morocco, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Portugal, and Tunisia. By 1973, just before the recruitment stop, 2.5 million people are employed in jobs that require social security contributions but do not hold a German passport. In Bremerhaven, it is particularly the fish processing industry that relies on these so-called guest workers.
