Syndicalisme et nanotechnologies. De l’espace des relations professionnelles à l’espace public des risques

The positions taken on nanotechnologies by trade union organisations, whether European or French, reveal a shift in union action. Traditionally, the trade union approach to occupational risk has been embedded in the field of professional relations, where “technical progress” is accompanied by demands formulated in terms of risk prevention. With nanotechnologies, the union response is framed in precautionary terms, with an emphasis on protection of the environment and human health before innovations are introduced. From this perspective, the study will show how the trade union movement has tackled the issue of nanotechnologies, moving from an initially work-related approach to one that places the accent on public concerns that go beyond traditional union preoccupations.     

New Public Management et professions dans l’État : au-delà des oppositions, quelles recompositions ?

More and more reforms in public administrations are being conducted that are based on the principles and instruments of “new public management”. They have set off protest and collective actions by several professional groups in various sectors (health, education, justice, social work, research…), whence questions about the future of professional groups in public services, in particular about their autonomy, which these reforms threaten. The opposition between this new public management and certain professional groups, is not the final explanation to draw from an analysis of this situation. Should these changes be seen as the decline of professional groups and of their autonomy, as a mutation of professional models, an overhaul of professionalism, etc.? These questions, which current events in France and Europe have raised, are a matter for ongoing sociological thought. They are approached empirically, from the field, using varied scales of analysis and research. Forms of tension between this new public management and professional groups are explored.