Abstract
ABSTRACTS This paper aims to discuss the thesis supported by several scholars and institutions according to which capitalist societies have been through a sharp shift in the nature of work relations. It assumes that social and economic changes in work management and new technologies would have dissolved traditional forms of employment, and the consequence would be a decline in wage labor. This new ‘farewell to the working class’ contributes to the idea that it is impossible to protect workers via public regulation. Based on empirical research using several case studies and data, especially from labor markets in Brazil and the United Kingdom, we argue that the “new” forms of work are predominantly wage labor, despite companies’ efforts to disguise the content of employment relations. We do not deny the emergence of changes in labor management by companies. However, we point out that this includes strategies of dissimulation of the wage relationship to reduce chances of limiting labor exploitation.
Highlights
This paper debates issues concerning the organization of work and production in the current context of capitalism, mainly work management, labor process and its implications on the regulation of labor
It aims to discuss the thesis according to which capitalist societies have been through a sharp shift in the nature of work relations, assuming that social and economic changes in work management and new technologies would have dissolved traditional forms of employment
Even in countries in which self-employment has increased in the last few years, there is no sustainable indicator showing a decline in wage work
Summary
This paper debates issues concerning the organization of work and production in the current context of capitalism, mainly work management, labor process and its implications on the regulation of labor. One of the main capitalist procedures has been not to present themselves as employers, calling these workers by other names, such as “independent” producers, “partners”, etc., or saying that companies are organized upon “new ways of work”, instead of hiring employees This process has undermined chances of limiting labor exploitation, seeking many facilitations for accumulation, such as making collective actions less likely to occur, impairing labor rights, increasing management flexibility etc. Afterwards, we identify cases representative of “new forms of work” in different economic sectors in Brazil and the United Kingdom in order to describe the formats and consequences of contracts in these countries These are representative cases of sectors and companies that have achieved prominence on a global scale and are indicated as likely trends for the labor market as a whole. There is a brief discussion to emphasize the role played by literature and its political consequences in terms of labor regulation
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