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Wage Theft and the Struggle over the Working Day in Hospitality Work: A Typology of Unpaid Labour Time

Author

Listed:
  • Matthew Cole

    (University of Oxford, UK)

  • Mark Stuart

    (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Kate Hardy

    (University of Leeds, UK)

  • David Spencer

    (University of Leeds, UK)

Abstract

Drawing on Marxist political economy, this article examines wage theft in hospitality work. Through a detailed, qualitative study of workers’ experiences in London hotels, a novel typology is developed that reveals how managers extract additional unpaid labour time through wage theft. The article argues that both the legal definition and existing academic formulations of wage theft fail to encompass the full range of ways that employers extract unpaid labour time. They also overlook the systemic dimension of unpaid labour time under capitalism. The article contributes new insights into the sociological dimensions of exploitation by proposing an alternative conceptualisation of wage theft that incorporates both formal violations of the law and the more subtle, informal means by which the theft of wages is secured.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Cole & Mark Stuart & Kate Hardy & David Spencer, 2024. "Wage Theft and the Struggle over the Working Day in Hospitality Work: A Typology of Unpaid Labour Time," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(1), pages 103-121, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:38:y:2024:i:1:p:103-121
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170221111719
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leah F. Vosko & John Grundy & Eric Tucker & Mark P. Thomas & Andrea M. Noack & Rebecca Casey & Mary Gellatly & Jennifer Mussell, 2017. "The compliance model of employment standards enforcement: an evidence-based assessment of its efficacy in instances of wage theft," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3), pages 256-273, May.
    2. Orestis Papadopoulos & Marti Lopez‐Andreu & Mandi Jamalian, 2021. "Violation and lack of awareness of employment rights in the United Kingdom's hotel industry: Isolation, fragmentation and barriers to labour enforcement," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 315-330, July.
    3. Ruth Milkman & Ana Luz González & Peter Ikeler, 2012. "Wage and hour violations in urban labour markets: a comparison of L os A ngeles, N ew Y ork and C hicago," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(5), pages 378-398, September.
    4. Katie Cruz & Kate Hardy & Teela Sanders, 2017. "False Self-Employment, Autonomy and Regulating for Decent Work: Improving Working Conditions in the UK Stripping Industry," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 55(2), pages 274-294, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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