Thirty-seven Swiss firms sought protection on slave-labour claims

Thirty-seven Swiss companies, including Nestlé, Roche and Novartis, sought protection from an American court against lawsuits over possible use of Nazi-era slave labour by German subsidiaries.

The number of companies involved was made public in documents posted on Saturday on the Internet.

The documents were among the latest additions to a website site that advises Holocaust survivors about progress in their $1.25 billion settlement with Swiss banks.

According to the information disclosed, Nestlé, Roche and Novartis told a US District Court in Brooklyn that subsidiaries they own in Germany or Nazi-occupied areas during World War II used slave labour.

Other companies said they could rule out any use of such labour, but that they were signing up anyway – thus gaining protection against separate US lawsuits.

A deadline set by the US District Court prompted the Swiss firms, most of which had previously been silent on their possible involvement, to come forward.

Last week, court-appointed expert, “Special Master” Judah Gribetz, recommended on the site that former slave labourers – whether or not they worked for Swiss subsidiaries – should receive between $500 and $1,000 from the Swiss fund, in addition to whatever they obtain from a German fund.

Gribetz said that would save “millions” in administrative costs, and spare the former slave labourers from having to calculate whether the company they had worked for was Swiss- or German-owned.

swissinfo with agencies