SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This doctoral research critically examines labour market flexibilisation policies in France, challenging the mainstream narrative that links flexibilisation with economic growth and reduced unemployment. Adopting a class relational perspective, it redefines labour market flexibilisation as a transformation in the social relations of production, facilitating the increasing rate of exploitation in many countries. This study analyses these policies as a manifestation of a concrete capitalist class struggle to (re)produce an exploitable labour force, influenced by neoliberalism and the 1970s profitability crisis. Focusing on France, this research uniquely combines a socio-historical analysis of the French labour market, quantitative macro-economic data, and a mixed-methods case study of France Télécom. This approach reveals the nuanced forms of flexibilisation in France, particularly in the context of diminishing union density and evolving collective bargaining. The thesis aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the power dynamics between capital and labour, offering insights into the covert strategies of French capitalism in response to economic challenges since the 1970s.