Unpaid: The Past, Present and Future of Wage Theft

Synopsis

Every year, workers around the world lose billions of hours of labour through unpaid overtime, wage theft, off-the-clock work, under-the-table employment, and increasingly opaque forms of digital and algorithmic exploitation. In Unpaid, Matthew Cole argues that these practices are not isolated abuses or unfortunate exceptions but fundamental features of capitalism itself. From factories and offices to gig economy platforms, he reveals how employers have continually developed new ways to extract labour without paying its full value.

Combining historical research, contemporary case studies, and accessible economic analysis, Cole traces the long history of wage theft while examining its modern evolution in an increasingly precarious workforce. Challenging conventional ideas about property, work, and compensation, Unpaid offers a compelling critique of how labour is valued and makes a powerful case for reclaiming workers' rights and democratic control over the conditions of employment.

About the Author

Matthew Cole is a writer and researcher whose work focuses on labour, political economy, and workers' rights. Drawing on history, law, and contemporary labour struggles, he examines the changing nature of work under capitalism and the systems that shape economic inequality.

Publisher
Verso Books

Publication Date
October 14, 2025

Format
Paperback

Pages
240

Subjects
Politics · Economics · Labour Studies · Social Criticism

ISBN
9781804295663