A fair day’s work = a fair day’s pay

If you do more work you should get more pay.

If you do less work you should get less pay.

If you are paid less for doing the same amount of work, or if you do more work for the same amount of pay, then you’re no longer getting a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Wage theft is serious business and it’s kind of insidious.

“hey I need you to stay on a couple hours after” then you’re paid the same amount as normal - wage theft

“you can’t leave till the next shift gets here” and you’re not paid for the time you wait - wage theft

“your wage is 25 an hour, that’s 200 a day, the hours are nine till five but most people do 8 till 6” - wage theft (the actual wage is 200 an hour)

“if there’s a dine and dash it comes from your paycheck” - wage theft

“you start at 12.50 an hour then go up to 25 after three months.” then at 2 months 3 weeks “sorry it didn’t work out, goodbye” - wage theft

Wage thieves usually target people that don’t know they’re being taken advantage of. Often people desparate for work, or not highly skilled, or just naive, or trusting. Hence it is (in my mind) predatory.

Fwiw time theft is the other side of the coin.