The decline of the worker as collective subject

Abstract

Work has lost its central role as a mechanism of social cohesion and establishment of collective solidarities. This is demonstrated by its replacement to a large extent as an element unifying the individual and society. In practice, this goes hand in hand with the undermining of labour rights, to the point of decisively influencing the actual configuration of labour relations, and an ever-increasing imbalance between the two collective subjects intrinsic to the labour market: employer and employee. This manifests itself in the appearance of an ever wider range of contractual models and the weakening of traditional boundaries between categories, such as self-employment and waged employment, formal and informal work, employment and unemployment.