Workers Without Companies: Towards a New Way of Working

— —

Sylvie Célérier (University of Lille, France) Alberto Riesco-Sanz (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)

Workers Without Companies

Towards a New Way of Working

Sylvie Célérier (University of Lille, France), Alberto Riesco-Sanz (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)

$109.95 $87.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Routledge
22 September 2025

Regional studies; Sociology: work & labour; Labour economics; Primary industries

Series: Routledge Studies in the Sociology of Work, Professions and Organisations

Workers Without Companies contributes to the debate on the future of work in a productive landscape that is now global, while ways of working diversify at an unprecedented pace.

Faced with several decades of mass unemployment in Europe and the activation of self-employment—especially through intermediary platforms—this book examines the transformation of the wage system not only in traditional salaried sectors but also in self-employment, agriculture, and the field of science and knowledge production. The authors identify a common movement: the growing detachment between companies and their employees. This deep-rooted and enduring trend is reshaping the wage relationship at the core of modern societies, continuously altering and destabilising workers’ lives. Recognising this shift is essential to interrogating what work—and our lives—will become in the years ahead. The book, therefore, concludes with a proposed research agenda structured around five key axes.

As such, Workers Without Companies will appeal to sociologists with interests in work and industry, employment and unemployment, organisation studies and labour relations.

By: Sylvie Célérier (University of Lille France), Alberto Riesco-Sanz (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 380g
ISBN: 9781032333021
ISBN 10: 1032333022
Series: Routledge Studies in the Sociology of Work, Professions and Organisations
Pages: 194
Publication Date: 22 September 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction Part I: Shaping the wage system in Europe 1. Ambiguities in the European model Compulsory insurance under state control The legacy of an industrial and political history The formation of the chief players in the labour exchange Work in Europe: convergences and national differences 2. Transformations in the wage system The Golden Age of capitalism? A new mutation of capitalism A profound remodelling of the wage system 3. Silent mutations in labour exchanges Value sharing and widening inequalities Working remotely and intermittently A more complex and interconnected labour mobilisation Part II: Variations in the wage system 4. The incomplete wage system of self-employed workers The dismantling of the wage system The expansion of the wage system A new type of self-employed worker 5. The agricultural wage system The same players as in the wage system Constantly accompanied production Regulations and tension among the agricultural wage system 6. Mobilisation and organisation of scientific work under state protection What can the structure of Spain’s science system teach us about the dynamics of the wage system? The creation of a science and innovation system in Spain Mobilisation and organisation of scientific work under state protection Challenges facing the current system of scientific labour mobilisation in Spain In conclusion: some proposals for future research on work The primordial alienation of workers from their work A transformed system of valorisation States under pressure A new way of organising production Professional trajectories outside the company sphere

Sylvie Célérier is an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Lille University, and a member of the Lille Centre for Sociological and Economic Research and Studies (CLERSE)— CNRS UMR 8019. Alberto Riesco-Sanz is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the Complutense University of Madrid and an Associate Researcher at the Complutense Institute for the Study of Contemporary Social Transformations (TRANSOC).