This article seeks to discuss the heterogeneity of associated work in cooperatives and self-management companies and their two inherent paradoxes: integration with or an alternative to the capitalist market, and autonomous or subordinated work. I examine various dilemmas faced by associated work on the basis of concrete experiences that reflect contexts, places, possibilities and limits. More than simply an atypical variant of work diverging from normal wage labour, associated work presents peculiarities that reflect the recent dynamics of flexible capitalism and its constant pursuit of cost reduction measures. The article discusses various positive aspects of worker cooperatives and self-management companies, including the possibility of promoting workers' autonomy, the negative aspects arising from the instability caused by the loss of social rights linked to the work, and finally, from a third perspective, their potential as an alternative form of social insertion for workers excluded from the formal job market.
Workers' cooperatives; Associated work; Social vulnerability; Self-management; Job instability