I would be remiss not to mention that Sixteen Tons was a Merle Travis song, recorded for the bona fide classic album[0] Folk Songs of the Hills. Both songs are classics, but the Travis version deserves to be heard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I15_KUsOzs

0: The album was released in 1947 prior to the introduction of the 12" LP, so it was originally released as a literal album of multiple 78rpm singles. It is one of the first concept albums. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_Songs_of_the_Hills

However, to be fair, Merle Travis had no problem with Tennessee Ernie Ford's version and was quite grateful for the royalty checks it provided ...

This reminds me of a similar, and quite popular, 90's rock song in Australia called "Blue Sky Mine" [0]. It refers to the horrible exploitive activities of CSL on an asbestos mine in the Pilbara region of Australia where they controlled their workers in a similar manner to what you describe here.

0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Sky_Mine

And nothing’s as precious as a hole in the ground.

That is de facto slavery!

Well, it's actually de facto indentured servitude.

I would call it Capitalism without opposition from the Left.

This is objectively the case. It’s exactly what happens every time the left is broadly defeated. And I literally mean every single time.

It's Soviet Union in miniature.

Whether someone owns the land by property right or "owns" "common grounds" by administrative right, the result seems to be the same: Oppression of those, who don't.

And this is why a strong opposition is important. It makes oppression much more difficult.