Du travail décent à la qualité de l’emploi : enjeux épistémologiques et politiques d’un changement de paradigme

Abstract

This article addresses on the one hand the semantic frameworks of what is called “good work, “decent work”, or “dignity of work”, and, on the other one, what is called “quality of work” and the underlying specific social logics. In order to do so, some of the most important texts are analysed of two kinds of institutions which have frequently made use of these concepts for formalizing their project of social cohesion: the International Labour Organization and the EU institutions. The concept of “quality of work” is marked by an unclear and variable content which is semantically generally linked to economic productivity. However, the category of ´decent work´ is semantically rooted in an anthropological representation whereby work becomes the producer of who carries out this job and who activates a political framework. This framework acknowledges the vulnerability inherent to a politically asymmetrical wage based relationship.The current semantical prevalence of the notion of “quality of work” at the expense of the one regarding decent work entails important political consequences. The shift from using the concept of work in terms of dignity towards using it in terms of quality of work leads to a change of perception based on justice towards efficiency.The underlying logics of the social construction of these two different concepts of quality and decency of work are shown and conclusions are drawn.

Keywords

• quality of work
• decent work
• precariousness
• social protection
• politisation of work