Description (eng)
After World War I, temporary employment of foreign citizens, especially in agriculture, was increasingly regulated by bilateral agreements throughout Europe. Seasonal labour contracts thereby became a subject of international law and intergovernmental supervision. Using the example of Czechoslovakian workers recruited for farms and estates in interwar Austria, this chapter deals with the coexistence of new rights and minimum standards, on the one hand, and contractually stipulated control, on the other. The contracts aimed to exclude those unable, incompetent or unwilling to work and to guarantee that those employed met their obligations and returned to their homeland in due time. In addition, different contracts for Austrian and non-Austrian workers and increasing employment restrictions on the latter deepened workers’ unequal treatment with respect to citizenship. This chapter examines how administrative authorities in both countries and the competent labour office on the Austrian side monitored working conditions and enforced compliance with the contracts.