Productive Democracy and the Liberation of Work

* Article: Néo-libération du travail et autogestion. Thomas Coutrot. Pensée 330 4–6:2002 pp.5–20.

URL = https://www.thomascoutrot.fr/wp-content/uploads/tcneolib.pdf

Summary

From the Reading Notes of Michel Bauwens, 2006:

The author notes that, despite a regain in the level of struggles, and a legitimacy crisis of capitalism on a local basis, there is no demand for economic democracy. This despite the growing cognitive sophistication of the new workers. Economic self-government presupposes both a high degree of technological knowledge and civic consciousness. It has also been noted in research that political participation is heavely dependent on work conditions. Autonomy in work creates political passion and is a condition for it.

But this 'liberation-by-management' has been co-extensive with the opening up of the factory to client demands, creating new levels of stress along with cognitive sophistication. In addition, the new mechanisms of control are more exclusively centered around the profit motive, weakening the legitimacy of capitalist domination. Why then has there been no increase in worker demands ? Because of the individualization of careers and control, and because of the generalized feeling of precarity. The confidence in workers' management has in fact eroded. Though precarity is less extensive than generally thought.