FORCED LABOR CAMPS AND THE SYSTEM OF FORCED WORKFORCE
10.1 Labor Shortages and Recruitment Policy
After 1945, Jáchymov Mines faced a fundamental problem—the shortage of qualified workers. Uranium production was expected to increase dramatically, yet the region had been demographically weakened by the post-war expulsion of the German population.
Between 1946 and 1948, extensive recruitment campaigns were organized. Workers were attracted by:
• above-average wages (often comparable to those of government ministers)
• allocation of housing
• free Saturdays (at a time when the standard workweek consisted of six days)
• exemption from the rationing system
• preferential access to consumer goods
Despite these incentives, the planned workforce of 30,000 to 60,000 employees was never fully achieved.
10.2 Use of Prisoners of War
The German administration had already employed prisoners of war during the Second World War. After 1945, German prisoners transferred from Soviet camps were assigned to work in Jáchymov. Their number is estimated at approximately 3,600 to 4,200 individuals.
Although their working conditions were harsh, the forced labor system reached its full extent only after 1948.
10.3 The Forced Labor Camps Act (1948)
Following the Communist takeover in February 1948, legislation establishing Forced Labor Camps (TNP – Tábory nucené práce) was adopted. Officially, the camps were intended to serve as institutions for the “re-education” of persons considered politically or socially unreliable. However, directives issued by the Ministry of the Interior in 1949 clearly indicate that the camps were viewed as an instrument of class policy.
The directive of 8 August 1949 specified:
• a monthly target of 3,000 persons assigned to forced labor camps
• a focus primarily on members of the former bourgeoisie
• the relocation of “undesirable persons” from major cities, especially Prague
The document demonstrates a deliberate effort to use labor camps as a tool for social restructuring.
10.4 The Camp Network in the Jáchymov Region
A large network of correctional and labor camps was established in the immediate vicinity of the mines:
Svornost
Rovnost
Eliáš I and II
Vykmanov I and II
Nikolaj
Barbora (Vršek)
Adam
Eva
Central Camp at the Bratrství Mine
Additional camps existed in the Horní Slavkov region and in the Příbram mining district.
During the first half of the 1950s, the prisoner population reached approximately 20,000 to 25,000 individuals. Prisoners were commonly referred to by the acronym MUKL – Muž určený k likvidaci (“Man Designated for Liquidation”).
10.5 Working Conditions
Prisoners worked:
• in underground tunnels and mine workings
• excavating new galleries and passages
• transporting materials
• manually crushing ore
Protection against radiation exposure was minimal. High levels of dust, humidity, and physically demanding labor resulted in numerous workplace accidents. Between 1950 and 1960, approximately 30,000 occupational accidents occurred, including around 450 fatalities.
The number of deaths caused by illness, beatings, or exhaustion cannot be determined with certainty.
10.6 Administration and Control
The camps were administered by the Ministry of National Security. Guard duties were carried out by the National Security Corps (SNB). The internal hierarchy was supplemented by so-called kapos, who were often recruited from among criminal prisoners.
The organizational model displayed several similarities to the Soviet Gulag system:
• labor quotas as the primary basis of evaluation
• a combination of repressive and productive functions
• centralized security control
It should be emphasized, however, that the Jáchymov system operated within the legal framework of Czechoslovakia and was not a direct copy of the Soviet camp system, although the influence and inspiration of Soviet practices are clearly evident.
