EXPLOITATION REVEALED

Anandita Singh Pal
The exploitation of workers in the private sector is a pervasive global issue that spans from everyday corporate policy violations to severe criminal abuses. Driven primarily by the pressure to maximize shareholder profit and cut operational costs, it thrives on an asymmetry of power between employers and employees. According to data from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the private economy is responsible for roughly 63% of all forced labor worldwide, generating an estimated $236 billion in illegal profits annually.

Wage Theft is the most common form of exploitation. It includes refusing to pay legally mandated overtime, making illegal deductions from paychecks at the source, or completely withholding a worker’s final paycheck.Forcing employees to work long hours without mandatory breaks, or threatening termination if an employee refuses to work outside their contracted hours.Utilizing bullying, toxic corporate cultures, or threats of termination to keep workers compliant—especially when employees feel they have no viable alternative job options actually leads to hypertension.

As a teacher I would also like to bring to notice about the exploitation in the teaching sector. Heavy fees are taken by the schools from the students but the teachers are underpaid and overburdened with tasks which needs to be completed at home as well. 7-8 hours of school hours and extra time at home. Not only this, the deduction of the salary unnecessarily also leads to mental stress. Ten minutes late to the school results in half day salary but extra time , stay back , checking at home , recieving parents call at home throughout the day results to zero appreciation. Nowadays none wants to become a teacher and without a teacher I don’t think that the economy can work properly.

Modern educational literature increasingly argues that teachers are treated as a “renewable resource,” but without systemic changes to workload, compensation, and workplace safety, the profession faces a massive retention crisis.

Ultimately, worker exploitation is not the result of a few bad actors; it is a predictable feature of a system that consistently prioritizes short-term profit over human dignity.