Unfree Labor
The labour as a general category refers to those who do some kind of work by themselves or under some other person (employer) in most cases with the expectation of some form of remuneration. This labour done by people serves as the basis for the fulfillment of the livelihood requirements of the people. Thus, the ‘labour’ is a very important aspect of people’s lives as it is a means through which reproduction takes place. The importance of labour is particularly fundamental for those who lack assets like land and capital or any other source of income. In the contemporary times and due to the advent of capitalism a large number of people have become dependent on selling their labor power to earn a livelihood. Amounting to the need of workers sometime they have to succumb to
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The unfree labor has prevailed throughout history in various forms. In feudalist societies it existed in the form of bonded labour where the labor was tied to the feudal lord and there were restrictions in labour mobility. The feudal system have ceased to exist today in its pure form but amidst the transition from feudalism to capitalism the labour relations have somehow failed to complete the transition from unfree to free and unfree labour still exists albeit in different forms
There are numerous debates among various authors and organizations to what actually entails unfree labour. International Labor Organization (ILO) defines unfree labor as “work or service exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily”. Essentially ILO defines unfree as a situation where people enter the labour relation involuntarily and are coerced to remain in it. However, it is advantageous to not give a very narrow definition to unfree labor but the ILO fails to recognize