CONTRACT LABOUR

the labour of workers whose freedom is restricted by the terms of a contractual relation and by laws that make such arrangements permissible and enforceable. The essence of the contract labourer's obligation is his surrender, for a specified period, of the freedom to quit his work and his employer. Other stipulations cover such matters as repayment of the costs of transportation, housing, and other expenses. Contract labour has been based upon conditions of poverty and upon political and religious intolerance expressed in harsh penal codes. Deception, kidnapping, and coercion were often used to obtain workers, usually unskilled and poorly educated adult males. The contractual terms often reflected the disadvantageous position of the labourer, even approaching slavery in their severity. Contract labour still carries implications of compulsion and unfairness. Indentured labour, one form of contract labour, was common in North America in colonial times. Its subjects were western European (mainly British) males and females. Some of the contracts were similar to apprenticeships, while the terms of others were harshusually imposed on criminals whose sentences were commuted if they agreed to colonial indenture. The indenture of Chinese and Indian labourers, who were commonly called coolies, was associated with European imperialism. Contract labour is still found among migrant workers. A U.S. law of 1951 permitted the importation of agricultural workers from Mexico under contract, specifying that such importation would be subject to governmental supervision.