GERMANY: Turkish immigrants who came to Germany 50 years ago as part of a deal to allow 'guest workers' into the country for a limited time say that they are part of society now and don't want to go back

Record ID: 348478

  • Title: GERMANY: Turkish immigrants who came to Germany 50 years ago as part of a deal to allow 'guest workers' into the country for a limited time say that they are part of society now and don't want to go back
  • Date: 29th October 2011
  • Summary: KOESKEROGLU SHOWS OLD FAMILY PICTURES TO VW EMPLOYEES STILL PICTURE SHOWING KOESKEROGLU'S FATHER, MEMET KOESKEROGLU , AT CAR SEAT ASSEMBLY IN THE 70S VARIOUS OF STILL PICTURES
  • Embargoed: 13th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA614ULS3YY3YHE8AV7RM4TF2VT
  • Story Text: On Sunday (October 30) Germany marks the 50th anniversary of a treaty bringing hundreds of thousands of Turkish "guest workers" to Germany, a move which dramatically altered the fabric of German society.
    From 1961, thousands of Turkish "guest workers" began accepting invitations from the West German government to help power the country's booming post-war economy, originally on the proviso they would stay temporarily.
    Some 710,000 people answered the call until the 1973 the recruitment ended due to the slowing economic boom. By then, many had put down roots, and were later joined by their wives and families -- so that an estimated 3 million people in Germany today are of Turkish origin, having established themselves well in Germany, used the opportunities the German education system had to offer.
    One of them is the leader of Green party, Cem Oezdemir, who said that he is perfect example for the new German-turkish generation, "because I owe my existence to this German-Turkish recruitment agreement of 50 years ago because of which my parents went to Germany."
    Today, more than 2.5 million people in Germany have Turkish heritage. Their presence has indisputably enriched Germany both culturally and economically - but it has also sparked countless debates concerning the integration of a group long seen only as guests eventually expected to leave.
    Turkish-German Oemer Koeskeroglu belongs to the second generation of the former 'guest workers', speaks fluent German and works at the car manufacturer Volkswagen in Wolfsburg. He says that sometime it is hard for him to pinpoint exactly his identity.
    "I still do not know whether I am German or German-Turkish or Turkish-German, I just don't know," Oemer Koeskeroglu told Reuters. "I have a little bit of a problem there. But I know one thing, Germany is mine - or our - second home. I am one hundred percent certain of that."
    His father Memet Koeskeroglu came to Germany with the first wave of 'guest workers', planning to return to his hometown Sivas in Anatolia with his money earned in Germany. But he never did. His son now says that he can't see himself or his family going back to Turkey.
    "If you look at it this way: my parents, after 50 years they are still not back. And they will never go back. Because their children will stay here, that is me, my children will stay here, and their children as well. We are not co-called 'guest workers' anymore but part of this society. We belong here."
    Oemer Koeskeroglu has been working for 30 years as a car manufacturer. After his education at a training college he started working with Volkswagen. Now he is the representative of foreign employees at the VW work council, and integral part of the VW work force.
    "Then it was all about just getting the work force. The economic boom was increasing dramatically, the dynamics of Volkswagen especially high, so foreign workers were needed because the German labour market in the 60s did not yield anything anymore," as the head of historical communication for Volkswagen, Manfred Grieger, told Reuters. "And then they became a part of our society which in its second and third generation works in very different areas than their fathers or grandfathers."
    When Hueseyn Savas left Turkey in 1971 and came to Germany, he thought it would not be for long. He knew that there was a big outside of Turkey and was curious to get to know it. He really wanted to go to an English-speaking country but knowing German led him to go initially to Duisburg - and he stayed.
    "About 82, 83 there was some kind of initiative with incentives so send the Turkish 'guest workers' back to their country. Many of our friends and family have used this opportunity to go home," Savas told Reuters. "We thought about that but decided to stay."
    Savas is one of many who have found their home in Germany and want to stay: "I don't want to go back. Holidays yes, but I don't want to go back," said Bedriye Eravci, another 'guest worker' who has found her home here.
    And for some, there are other, more relevant to their way-of-life issues, as Fatma Aslan said: I discovered that life is much easier for women in Germany, they can move around easier, and have more opportunities. So I stayed longer that I intended. I wanted that, and that's why I stayed."
    Whether it's Mesut Oezil giving the national football team creative spark, Fatih Akin representing German cinema at the Cannes Film Festive, or Cem Oezdemir leading the Green party, modern Germany would be unimaginable without the contributions of countless Turkish immigrants and their children.
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