On 02Feb2017 1444, Kurt Feltenberger (via tml list) wrote:

> Reading T5, it seemed pretty implicit that slavery was, if not
> widespread throughout the 3I, then relatively common, especially in
> the sectors that weren't part of the core.  This was the first time I
> had seen it in a rule book and frankly, it soured me to the whole "T5
> is what Traveller always should have been" comment from Marc Miller.

I've always assumed that slavery or near-slavery in the form of nigh
unbreakable labour contracts (often transferable effectively without the
labourer's consent) was fairly common outside of the well-travelled
areas of the Imperium.

Worlds that are good, old 'one horse towns', where the lower-level
workers somehow can never make enough money to leave would've been
common. Of course management and skilled workers would leave to their
homeworlds when their (many year long) contracts were up, as long as
they were good little corporate drones and made no waves. Make a fuss
about something and you could well end up fired without pension or
severance pay on the crappy little world you were working on. Yes, MTU
is strongly influenced in this by E.C. Tubb's novels (and Jo Clayton's,
where this was also a thing).

In a society where contract labour like this is common, debt slavery to
pay off debt is probably also a thing, because a company will be able to
make offers like "We'll give you advance against your wages that'll pay
off your debts and give your family enough to get their house fixed up.
Ten year contract, just sign here..."

--
Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com>
Chief Assistant to the Assistant Chief