The term “wage slavery” is a very interesting term. Slavery means involuntary servitude, meaning that the slave has no choice and is bound to the master. The slave is subject to the coercion of the master and cannot voluntarily leave the relationship.

Wages are the payment for services rendered. If a person is bound to an employer by force, whether he is paid or not, that can still be considered slavery. That has been outlawed for a very long time in nearly all countries. Those who continue to use coercion or force to make others do what they don’t want to do voluntarily should be punished.

The normal employer – employee relationship is voluntary. Any employee has the right to leave the job if he or she does not like the conditions or the pay. The only reason that an employee would stay at a job that does not satisfy him or her enough is that it is the best choice of those available. If other better options were available to the employee, he or she is free to take them. If the employee chooses to stay, it is a voluntary decision. Since voluntary action and slavery are mutually exclusive, the term wage slavery is an absurdity except in those cases where force or coercion is used. That typically happens only when the state is involved, which is the norm with socialist societies.

In effect, wage slavery is a product of a socialist and/or dictatorial state.