Originally published in the October issue of TUFAgram. Written by Willow Russell a member of #24 ASF Boorloo (Perth). Inspired and based on articles by the IWA-AIT Secretariat, and PRO-IWA KOREA
Every October the International Workers’ Association, a global federation of anarcho-syndicalist unions and organizations, launches its annual campaign: the Week Against Unpaid Wages. The campaign aims to expose all forms of wage theft, encourages direct action to reclaim stolen wages and is currently in its seventh year. Wage theft occurs all over the world. It takes many forms including:
- Not being paid at all for your work
- Underpayment including unpaid overtime or being paid below legal/contract minimum
- Being forced to work on the wrong kind of contract, classification or award so that you are ineligible for statutory benefits, such as paid vacation or sick leave
- Unjustified deductions from your salary
- Unpaid probationary periods, training periods and internships
- Not being paid owed wages after being fired
- Legal discrimination on the basis of age (Junior rates), or disability
- Not receiving breaks or compensation for skipped breaks
- Not receiving any other workplace right or owed compensation
Joining or forming a union at your workplace is key to any workplace struggle, however I’ll go through some more specific tactics for fighting wage theft below. Firstly, don’t underestimate small acts of solidarity at work. They help to build that culture of solidarity at your workplace that makes action against wage theft, or any other action, much easier to organise. Contact workers or people you know who have experienced wage theft and encourage them to take action. Make records. Every time you work, record working hours, record the employer's instructions, take photos, and record pay details. Speak out together. Employers are not afraid of isolated individuals. However, they are afraid of collective direct action by workers standing together.
Sections of the IWA in Spain, Poland, Australia, and Slovakia, and other countries have fought back against wage theft and won many victories. They did so not by relying solely on court rulings, national agencies or politicians. Instead, these workers of the IWA chose direct action including:
- Protest and pickets in front of offending businesses and those businesses that work with them
- Publicizing information about offending businesses and the businesses that continue to work with them
- Boycott campaigns against offending businesses and those that deal with them
- Activating mutual aid networks
- Strikes and solidarity strikes, including wildcat strikes
Through these direct actions, IWA sections have achieved numerous victories, recovering stolen wages for precarious workers, subcontractors, and migrant workers that were ignored by the legal system. Not only have they resulted in reclaiming stolen money, but they have played an important role in empowering workers.
Wage theft is an issue for all workers internationally. Workers experiences of capitalist and state exploitation are very much the same. In this age of resurgent nationalism, and neo liberal globalism the REAL Revolutionary Internationalism and solidarity we see and experience in the fight against wage theft is a beacon of light to what the future society could be like, one without bosses, borders, where we can steer the ship, not bureaucrats, scheming politicians, or bosses.
Let's fight to create an international movement and encourage workers' direct action! Speak out and fight back against even the smallest and most unjust wage theft in our workplace. This week and every week let’s fight wage theft!
