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

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.

Automated summary

This article draws on Marxist political economy to examine wage theft in hospitality work, particularly in London hotels. It presents a novel typology developed through qualitative research, highlighting how managers extract additional unpaid labor time through wage theft. The article argues that existing legal definitions and academic formulations fail to capture the full range of ways employers extract unpaid labor time, overlooking the systemic dimension of unpaid labor time under capitalism. It proposes an alternative conceptualization of wage theft that incorporates both formal violations of the law and more subtle, informal means.