Personal Development and the Flexible Contracts

2013–2014

ERSTE Foundation Fellowship for Social Research Labour Market and Employment in Central and Eastern Europe

Personal Development and the Flexible Contracts: Depoliticized Class Struggles between Highly Skilled Workers and Manual Workers in Cluj Norbert Petrovici

Personal) Development) and) the) Flexible) Contracts:) Depoliticized) Class) Struggles) between)Highly)Skilled)Workers)and)Manual)Workers)in)Cluj) ) Norbert)Petrovici) ) BabeșFBolyai)University) ) Abstract:"In"the"midst"of"diminishing"levels"of"aggregate"demand"for"jobs"at"European"level"and"and" ”transitional"unemployment”,"employability"promises"also"in"Central"Europe"the"freedom"to"choose" between"successive"positions"and"transform"them"in"learning"experiences"within"a"career"field."The" firm" becomes" increasingly" unreliable" in" providing" a" stable" position" or" even" the" prospects" of" advancement," but" may" offer" the" necessary" support" to" enhance" one’s" employability." "In" this" paper" I" aim" to" better" understand" the" relation" between" the" employee" and" the" firm" by" putting" in" doubt" the" classless" imaginary" of" the" employability" discourse." Focussing" on" the" employability" narrative" among" highly"skilled,"skilled"and"unskilled"workers"in"a"middle"scale"city"in"Romania,"Cluj,"a"second"tire"city"in" the"urban"hierarchy"of"Central"Europe,"I"will"question"the"very"assumption"that"the"whole"issue"of"the" employeeFemployer"relation"is"a"oneFtoFone"relation"between"a"person"and"the"firm,"without"political" consequences" for" the" other" employees." In" this" paper" I" explore" the" way" employability" works" in" producing" new" class" tensions" between" the" various" fractions" of" the" workers," following" the" classification"effects"of"the"selfFdevelopment,"selfFbettering"and"selfFeducation"narratives."

) Employability,)selfFdevelopment)and)class)struggles)in)Eastern)Europe) Despite"diminishing"levels"of"European"aggregate"demand"for"jobs"(Ark"et"al.,"2012)"and"”transitional" unemployment”"(Bell"and"Mickiewicz,"2013;"Blažek"and"Netrdová,"2012),"many"East"European"cities" were" able" to" negotiated" a" new" position" of" command" and" control" in" the" global" urban" hierarchy" (Taylor"et"al.,"2012)."The"last"two"decades,"for"the"major"cities,"meant"major"transformation"in"terms" of"connectivity"to"the"global"flows"of"capital"(Banczyk,"2012)."Job"creation"was"predicated"in"these" cities"on"service"offshoring,"consultancies"and"managing"the"sale"of"state"assets"and"the"creation"of" new" economic" institutions," local" businessFtoFbusiness" chain" making," and" command" and" control" function"for"the"new"production"facilities"set"up"in"the"region"(Gál,"2014;"Bell"and"Mickiewicz,"2013)."

A"new"wave"of"optimism"came"with"the"narrative"of"“portfolio"worker”"(Handy,"1995)"as"the"social" structure"of"the"city"accommodates"an"expansion"of"the"professional"positions"at"the"expense"of"the" blue"collars"relocated"in"the"suburbs"and"surrounding"towns"(d'OIvidio"and"Ranci,"2014;"Stanilov"and" Sýkora,"2014)."However,"for"those"in"the"new"jobs,"epitomes"of"the"new"globalized"Eastern"European" urban"economy,"the"firm"becomes"increasingly"unreliable"in"providing"a"stable"position"or"even"the" prospects" of" advancement" (Bell" and" Mickiewicz," 2013)." Nonetheless," the" firm" may" offer" the" necessary"support"to"enhance"one’s"employability"(Chertkovskaya"et"al.,"2013;"Costea"et"al.,"2012)."

Employability"promises"the"freedom"to"choose"between"successive"positions"and"transform"them"in" learning"experiences"within"a"career"field"(Iellatchitch"et"al.,"2003).""

The"plausibility"of"the"employability"discourse"and"the"hopes"in"career"across"firms"is"strongly"rooted" in" the" actual" expansion" of" service" sector" and" the" changing" social" stratification" of" urban" Eastern" Europe" (TomescuFDubrow," 2011;" Janicka" and" Słomczyński," 2008)." While" these" transformations" are" especially" visible" in" the" major" cities" across" the" region" (Sýkora" and" Bouzarovski," 2012)," they" are" certainly"important"also"in"secondFtier"cities"(Evans,"2013)."In"this"paper"I"focus"on"the"city"of"Cluj," the"second"most"important"city"in"Romania,"and"a"second"rank"city"of"325"000,"in"the"East"European" urban" hierarchy" (Gál," 2014)." The" city" rescaled" itself" becoming" an" important" player," successfully" 1" "

repositioning"in"the"financial"scapes,"production"services"and"intensiveFknowledge"services"(Petrovici" and" Simionca," 2011;" Gál," 2014)." The" city’s" official" strategy" in" the" last" decade," sustained" by" a" local" proFgrow"alliance"of"highly"network"firms"(Petrovici"and"Simionca,"2011),"was"to"boost"service"jobs" and" create" policies" that" stimulated" the" service" sector" (Hintea," 2008)." The" new" hero" in" the" public" discourse" both" of" the" administration" and" of" the" managers," became" the" creative," selfFdeveloping," selfFbettering,"cheap"and"disciplined"subject"(Zincă,"2011)."Between"the"2002"and"2011"censuses,"the" number"of"professionals"in"the"city"grew"with"18%"and"the"service"workers"with"8%,"while"the"total" numbers"of"blue"collar"workers"decrease"with"almost"10%."New"highly"skilled"workers"were"invited" in"the"city"as"creative"and"managerial"personnel,"while"skilled"and"unskilled"workers"were"put"in"a" very" frail" position" in" terms" of" bargaining" power" over" production" processes" and" material" rewards" associated"with"their"jobs"(Petrovici,"2011b)."For"some"workers"becoming"an"urban"dweller"becomes" an"issue"in"itself."Cluj"hosts"the"biggest"informal"settlement"in"Romania"on"the"city"landfill"of"more" than"1500"people,"inhabited"mostly"by"unqualified"workers"and"their"families."Most"of"them"are"selfF identifying"as"Roma,"working"informally"and"formally"in"the"recycling"industry"(Vincze,"2013).""

In"this"paper"I"aim"to"better"understand"the"relation"between"the"employee"and"the"firm"by"putting" in" doubt" the" classless" imaginary" of" the" employability" discourse." Focussing" on" the" employability" narrative"among" highly"skilled,"skilled"and"unskilled"workers"in"Cluj,"I"will"question"the"very"assumption" that"the"whole"issue"of"the"employeeFemployer"relation"is"a"oneFtoFone"relation"between"a"person"and" the"firm,"without"political"consequences"for"the"other"employees,"as"the"employability"narrative"solicits."

While" professionalization" is" predicated" on" a" career" field," this" very" move" is" based" on" putting" the" employee"in"collaborative"fluxes"inside"the"firm"and"among"firms."The"employee"is"part"of"a"division" of" work," which" produces" social" divisions" in" the" whole" body" of" workers." The" narrative" of" employability" is" not" without" consequences" for" the" class" tensions" that" emerge" among" the" various" factions" of" workers," divided" and" valorised" differentially" by" the" capital," according" to" their" skills" and" scarcity."

In" Eastern" Europe" the" criticism" against" Fordism," bureaucracy," and" autocratic" managerial" styles" are" most" of" times" conflated" with" the" criticism" of" the" actuallyFexistingFsocialism" (Simionca," 2012b;" Simionca," 2013;" Ban," 2014)." The" critique" of" old" Fordist" loyalties" and" the" complex" bureaucracies" of" the" factories" in" played" out," most" of" the" times," as" a" critique" of" “communism”" (Buden," 2010)." The" agenda" of" employability" has" at" its" centre" a" very" particular" selfFwork" ethic" sustained" by" the" selfF government" techniques" of" the" flexible," skilled," learner," and" enterprising" subject" (Chertkovskaya" et" al.," 2013;" Costea" et" al.," 2012)." This" work" ethic" promises" a" very" different" subject" from" that" of" the" communist"Fordist"subject,"cleaned"from"the"old"“mentalities”."Nonetheless,"it"is"a"critique"against" bureaucracy,"autocracy,"overFregulation"on"the"shop"floor"not"dissimilar"to"those"reported"in"other" contexts"with"a"history"of"Fordism,"industrialization"and"urbanization"(Sennett,"1998)."In"fact,"these" discursive" formations" are" far" from" being" exceptional." Much" of" the" current" work" arrangements" in" core"capitalist"countries"can"be"linked"exactly"to"the"ability"to"capture"and"employees"criticism"and" discontent" (Boltanski" and" Chiapello," 2005)" with" the" loyalties" and" arrangements" solicited" by" the" bureaucratic" organizations" (Burawoy," 1985;" Sennett," 1998;" Bloom," 2013)" from" the" Fordist" “organizational" man”" (Whyte," 1956)." Ethics" of" popular" entrepreneurship," strives" towards" independences" and" desires" for" freedom," have" been" adapted" to" organizational" ends" to" produce" an" entrepreneuring"self"in"the"confines"of"the"capitalist"firm.""

2" "

Critical" scholars" point" that" employability" prompts" a" new" dependence" to" the" manager’s" figure" (Cremin," 2010)." Arguably," employability" produces" an" idealized" identification" with" the" manager’s" desires," predicated" on" the" hope" that" employees’" frailty" in" the" organization" may" be" overcome" by" assembling" the" various" managerial" needs" and" job" openings" in" a" career" (Bloom," 2013)." Inside" this" narrative,"the"burden"of"organizational"flexibility"is"put"on"the"shoulders"of"the"employee,"called"to" better" herself" and" find" new" opportunities," once" the" organizational" milieu" is" no" longer" acceptable" (Alvesson" and" Sveningsson," 2008)." Organizational" claim" making" is" hindered" by" continuously" individualization" and" depolitization" of" the" work" relations" (Garsten" and" Jacobsson," 2013;" Sharone," 2007;"Garsten"and"Jacobsson,"2004)."The"employee"is"decoupled"from"any"internal"control,"except" for"the"informal"relations"developed"with"supervisor"and"the"colleagues,"and"reoriented"towards"the" career"field"(Gunz"and"Peiperl,"2007;"Iellatchitch"et"al.,"2003).""

Such"critical"appraises"open"new"ways"to"question"and"to"deepen"the"complex"relation"in"which"the" employees"are"made"part"of"and"asked"to"contribute"to"a"firm."Employability"does"not"suspend"the" conflictFridden" character" of" the" social" division" of" work" that" are" in" place" both" in" the" industrial" and" postFindustrial"arrangements."But"much"of"the"struggles"between"labour"and"capital"are"deflected"as" tensions" between" the" working" classes," understood" as" fluid" groups" formed" in" the" division" of" work" (Kalb,"1997)."The"tension"between"highly"skilled"workers"and"unskilled"workers"on"the"shop"floor"are" highly"documented"(Pittaway,"2007;"Burawoy,"1985;"Petrovici,"2011a),"as"well"as"the"alliances"that" are" formed" between" the" different" workers" factions" against" the" employer" (Ost," 2002;" Kalb," 1997)."

Employability" increasingly" transfers" the" burden" of" being" employed" on" the" working" subject."

Consequently," unemployment," precarious" working" conditions," working" routine," and" job" estrangement" is" explained" away" as" an" individual" malaise," the" effect" of" the" not" good" enough" selfF entrepreneurship."As"in"the"case"of"the"puritan"subject,"an"inappropriate"and"uninteresting"job"is"a" mark"of"not"behaving"graceful"enough"on"the"labour"market;"it"is"indicative"of"an"inadequate"work" ethic." But" such" an" interpellation" of" the" subject" creates" a" whole" hierarchy" of" the" selected," of" the" adequate"subject"which"responded"to"the"call"of"the"professionalization."The"subjects"are"invited,"in" this"discourse,"to"evaluate"and"position"themselves"in"relation"to"other"workers,"and"less"to"question" the" employer" through" political" alliances." Moreover," transformation" in" the" composition" of" the" aggregate" demand" at" the" city" and" regional" level" are" being" transformed" in" individual" employability" issues."As"the"number"of"professional"job"expends"at"the"city"level"making"plausible"the"very"concept" of"a"career"field"and"“portfolio"worker”,"the"number"of"the"blue"collar"jobs"are"contracting"making" implausible"the"narrative"of"selfFbetterment"through"the"firms.""

In" this" paper" I" explore" the" way" employability" works" in" producing" new" class" tensions" between" the" various" fractions" of" the" workers," following" the" classification" effects" of" the" selfFdevelopment," selfF bettering" and" selfFeducation" narratives." First" I" discuss" the" methodological" design" I" used." Second" I" follow" the" personal" development" narrative" among" the" various" workers" fractions," the" grounds" on" which"the"employer"can"be"hold"accountable"in"this"narrative,"and"finally,"I"show"the"classification" effects" that" emerge" between" the" working" class" factions" in" Cluj." I" conclude" arguing" that" the" case" illuminates"the"way"employability"depoliticizing"work"relations"producing"problematic"classificatory" among"the"employees." " Data)and)method) The"empirical"material"of"the"paper"consists"of"46"semiFstructured"interviews"conducted"in"the"last" two"month"of"2013"and"the"first"two"month"of"2014."The"interviews"were"conducted"with"workers" 3" "

with" different" levels" of" qualifications," from" highly" skills" to" unskilled." The" high" skilled" workers" draw" the" sampling" and" those" organizations" were" preferred" that" had" employees" working" both" in" Information"Technologies"(IT)"and"in"Human"Resources"(HR)."Yet,"the"firm’s"industry"was"not"control."

However,"in"order"to"control"variability"and"give"weight"to"possible"structural"factors"that"may"shape" the" narrative" about" work," the" skilled" and" unskilled" workers" were" selected" from" the" same" organizations"as"the"highly"skilled"interviewed"workers."To"control"for"possible"additional"variation," unemployed" workers," recommended" by" the" employed" semiskilled" and" unskilled" interviewed" workers," were" added" to" the" sample." Some" of" them" worked" in" the" same" firms" (i.e." genitors," laundress)," some" of" them" were" just" acquaintances" of" highly" skilled" workers" (sanitation" works," employee"in"a"carwash)."Special"quotas"were"given"the"unskilled"to"Roma,"the"second"minority"group" as"size"in"Cluj"and"a"highly"marginalized"one.""

The"official"path,"via"the"managers"or"owner"of"the"company,"was"avoided"and"direct"contact"was" the" main" way" of" approaching" the" subjects." Entering" various" firms" to" talk" with" worker" on" different" level" of" qualification" was" not" an" easy" task." I" worked" around" this" issue" with" the" help" of" the" 6" researched" assistants," beside" me," that" conducted" interviewees." As" residents" of" the" city" they" had" contact"in"various"firms"that"employed"personal"in"IT"and"HR."Also"the"interviews"were"conducted" along"four"month,"in"order"to"leave"enough"time"for"find"the"appropriate"firms"and"make"contacts" with"the"rest"of"recommended"employees"from"the"firm."" ) Table)1.)The)distribution)of)interviews)according)to)level)skills,)education,)age,)and)gender) Type)of)worker) interviewed)

N)

F)

UnemF ployed)

Mean)Age) (Std.dev.))

Mean)years) of)Educ.)

(Std.)dev.))

16" (3)"

Highly'skilled' workers'

25"

8"

0"

25" (4)"

Skilled'workers'

10"

5"

5"

42" (7)"

20" (5)"

Unskilled' workers'

11"

7"

6"

36" (8)"

22" (2)"

Total"

46"

20"

11"

"

"

Subsamples) IT"

HR"

15"

10"

" NonF Roma"

Roma" 5"

6" "

Types)of)jobs) junior"developers,"senior" developers,"testers,"team" leaders,"IT"sales,"HR"specialist," HR"manager."

Warehouseperson," storekeeper,"supervisor," electrician,"plumber,"textile" worker."

Sanitation"worker,"laundress," carwash,"genitors." "

" I"have"chosen"these"two"professions,"the"Information"Technology"and"Human"resources,"in"order"to" be" able" to" capture" the" employability" narratives" and" the" reported" practices" enabled" or" disabled" by" these" narratives" in" highly" dynamic" sectors" of" the" labour" market." The" IT" sector" is" the" largest" professional" field" in" the" city" of" Cluj," with" more" than" 7500" employees" that" is" 7%" of" the" total" workforce."It"is"also"a"market"strongly"driven"by"the"global"fluxes"of"capital,"most"of"the"projects"are" outsourced"contracts"by"multinationals"to"Cluj1."Public"university"courses,"at"all"levels"(BA,"MA,"PHD," """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 1

"At"the"2011"census"there"were"6,441"employees"in"the"IT"field"at"all"organizational"levels,"from"managers"to" data"operators,"representing"13.25%"from"the"total"number"of"professionals"in"Cluj"city."Given"the"public" accounting"data"there"were"6,146"employees"in"the"firms"with"the"main"activity"domain"in"computing"related" activities,"Web"related"and"data"processing"(NACE"J62FJ63)."That"is"5,29%"from"the"total"number"of"employees" in"firms"registered"in"the"city"of"Cluj."The"major"boom"in"the"domain"started"in"2008"and"the"increase"up"until" 2011"of"the"number"of"employees"in"this"type"of"firms"was"of"69.5%"

4" "

postFdoc)," are" offering" specialization" in" IT" and" hardware" development" and" a" multitude" of" private" companies" are" offering" more" specialized" courses." The" HR" sector" is" the" second" more" dynamic" professional" field" in" Cluj" with" an" increasing" number" of" firms" employing" personal" specialized" in" handling"the"daily"organizational"issues,"through"specialized"individuals,"independent"departments," or" outsourced" to" specialized" firms2." Only" recently" public" universities" in" Cluj" started" to" offer" specialized" tracks" for" HR" at" BA" and" MA" level," yet" this" lack" was" supplemented" by" a" multitude" of" privately" offered" workshops," summer" camps," trainings," short" term" and" long" term" courses," and" internships."

Although" the" IT" and" HR" fields" are" very" different" in" terms" of" income" level," aggregate" jobs" demand," number" of" corporate" players," and" labour" market" competition," nonetheless" there" is" a" very" strong" discursive"convergence"of"the"way"employees"are"talking"about"their"jobs."I"have"controlled"for"the" organizational" factor" by" interviewing" IT" and" HR" employees" that" were" working" in" the" same" companies." This" methodological" move" did" not" create" a" similarity" in" terms" of" the" content" of" the" narratives," exactly" because" the" professional" fields" are" somehow" different." Yet," the" recurrent" narrative" was" that" of" a" quest." The" successive" positions" were" ordered" and" transformed" by" the" subjects"themselves"in"a"search"for"a"professional"field,"a"expertize"area"that"offers"the"prospect"of"a" career."Those"who"entered"the"labour"market"at"the"beginning"of"the"2000s"and"now"profess"in"IT"or" HR," most" of" the" time," did" not" have" a" specific" college" profile" or" even" a" college" degree." This" has" changed"dramatically"in"the"second"half"of"the"2000s,"specialized"college"profiles"were"increasingly" more" important" alongside" specialized" internships," trainings" and" workshops" (Simionca" and" Al" Ariss," 2011)."But"even"now"there"is"no"oneFtoFone"correspondence"between"education"and"the"profile"of" the"job,"in"both"fields.""

This" type" of" biographical" consistency" is," partially," an" artefact" produced" by" the" interview" itself" through" the" procedure" of" questioning" the" subject" and" placing" her" on" a" trajectory" of" successive" positions" (Truc," 2011)." However," this" biographical" illusion" is" not" just" an" emergent" effect" of" the" interactional"situation"between"the"interviewer"and"the"interviewee."It"is,"in"fact,"a"rehearsal"and"a" reFelaboration" of" a" well" know" script" produced" collaboratively" in" countless" other" interactions:" job" interviews,"CV"writing,"trainings,"coaching,"client"meetings,"working"dinners,"firm"parties,"drinks"with" the" colleagues," etc.." Therefore," this" particular" biographical" makeup" is" a" complex" narrative" also" elaborated"and"put"together"in"multiple"interactions"and"interactional"arenas.""

The" personal" development" narratives" are" not" so" consistent" when" it" comes" to" skilled" and" unskilled" workers." The" fact" that" the" instances" for" selfFretiling" are" not" so" dense" as" in" the" case" of" the" highly" skilled"workers"becomes"obvious"when"the"interviewees"are"prompted"to"talk"about"themselves"in" terms" of" qualifications." This" does" not" mean" that" there" are" not" recurrent" themes" and" ways" of" questioning"employment"practices"on"the"labour"market."Nonetheless,"the"heroic"discourses"about" becoming" a" professional" with" certain" specific" skills" are" not" there." The" whole" burden" of" selfF actualization"is"put"on"the"issue"of"the"dignity"of"being"an"industrious"person,"in"spite"of"the"constant" attacks"on"one’s"dignity"through"deskilling."But"exactly"these"differences"make"more"visible"the"firms" pressures" on" the" variously" skilled" workers" and" the" way" they" respond" to" the" insecurities" of" the" contracts"that"shifts"flexibility"pressures"on"the"employee."" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 2

"At"the"2011"census"there"were"1282"employees"in"the"HR"field"at"all"organizational"levels,"representing"2.64%" from"the"total"number"of"professionals"in"Cluj"city."Given"the"public"accounting"data"there"were"509"employees" in"the"firms"with"the"main"activity"domain"employment"activities"(NACE"N78,"P85)."

5" "

" Getting)skilled,)denied)the)skills)and)unskilled)enough" An" unintended" effect" of" planned" economies" was" that" the" whole" system" became" ultimately" dependent"on"the"collaboration"and"flexibility"of"direct"producers"(Pittaway,"2007;"Petrovici,"2011a)."

As" a" reaction" to" the" dependence" on" the" willingness" of" workers" to" informally" mobilize" for" fast" and" concentrated" production" stints," the" socialist" management" tried" to" hold" a" grip" on" the" production" processes" by" inventing" continuous" new" rules" and" hierarchies" (Pasti," 1997)." The" decisionFmaking" process" was" very" long," precisely" because" there" was" a" whole" layer" of" highly" skilled" workers" simultaneously"in"charge"and"responsibilities"were"unclear."In"the"first"postFsocialist"decade"much"of" the" criticism" voiced" by" the" socialist" highly" skilled" workers" went" into" producing" a" counterF organizational" discourse" against" the" socialist" factory’s" impossibility" of" real" control," lack" of" clerical" creativity"and"rigidity." " In"Cluj,"most"of"the"firms"from"in"the"second"part"of"the"1990s"were"run"by"or"employed"these"young" highly" skilled" workers" (Petrovici" and" Simionca," 2011)." The" language" of" flexibility" and" creativity" became"a"particularly"useful"tool"to"refashion"the"new"organizational"milieu"(Simionca,"2012a;"Zincă," 2011)." Most" of" the" business" literature" and" business" contacts" also" offered" the" chance" to" reframe" these"types"of"genuine"criticisms"in"neoliberal"parlance."Since"the"new"local"business"scene"was"just" emerging,"the"socialist"highly"skilled"workers"had"the"chance"to"put"critical"concepts"to"test,"while" they"were"reinventing"themselves"and"the"business"milieu."By"the"second"postsocialist"decade"the" trope" of" creativity," venture," selfFdevelopment" and" pleasure" became" the" lens" through" which" the" economy"and"the"world"were"read"by"this"social"group."However,"by"now"a"new"generation"of"highly" skilled" workers" was" entering" the" labour" market," formed" in" the" late" 1990s" and" then" in" 2000s." For" these"subjects"the"hegemonic"discourse"was"that"of"a"naturalized"flexible"subject"(Zincă,"2011)."And" by" extension," an" antiFcommunist" discourse" framed" their" criticism" of" the" planned," largeFscale" industrial" Taylorism" (Simionca," 2012b)." ”Capitalism”" is" often" read," with" the" active" help" of" public" intellectuals,"as"a"politicalFethical"project"that"aims"not"only"to"politically"design"markets,"but"also"at" to"enact"a"moral"transformation:"to"get"rid"of"the"old"communist"habits"and"practices."Capitalism"is" called"to"enact"efficiency,"flexibility,"creativity"and"competitiveness"against"the"old"system’s"residues" (Buden,"2010).""

The)highly)skilled)workers’"narratives,"employed"in"IT"and"HR,"are"echoing"these"types"of"discourses," where"creativity,"selfFdevelopment"and"selfFbetterment"are"at"the"centre"of"what"it"means"to"be"a" good" employee," and" more" importantly" an" accomplished" modern" subject." The" major" theme" in" the" interviews"with"these"highly"skilled"workers"is"that"of"the"process"of"discovering"and"constituting"a" personal" professional" field" from" bits" and" pieces" assembled" on" the" go," inFbetween" the" various" positions" they" had" held." These" are" the" professional" “quest" narratives”," as" mention" in" the" methodological" section," and" they" are" composed" along" a" major" fault" line." One" the" one" hand" the" subjects" are" talking" about" their" professionalization" in" terms" of" pleasure" of" work," personal" discoveries,"and"learning"milieus."On"the"other"hand"they"are"talking"about"hindrance,"interruptions" and" burdens" put" on" personal" development," experience" acquisition" and" the" sense" of" dignity" that" is" needed" to" an" enabling" environment" conducive" to" selfFbetterment." The" firms" themselves" are" evaluated"and"classified"according"to"their"capacity"to"facilitate"or"debilitate"one’s"development.""

In"the"narratives"of"the"highly"skilled"workers,"even)if"the"organization"itself"is"only"a"stop"along"the" path" for" searching" a" professional" trajectory," a" career," the" organization" itself" is" a" main" anchor" in" 6" "

reality."Reality"itself"is"mediated"by"the"very"existence"of"the"firm"as"an"embodiment"of"the"market,"a" nodal" point" that" links" in" a" coherent" way" the" multitude" of" suppliers," rivalling" firms," partners" and" clients." Without" the" firms," as" such," and" without" the" employing" firm," in" particular," the" knowledge" itself"would"be"just"theoretical,"i.e."nonFreal"enough."For"these"subjects"the"practical"knowledge"is" assembled" in" a" professional" field" as" practical" knowledge" through" the" looking" glass" of" a" firm." As" argued"by"one"of"the"interviewee,"most"of"the"major"IT"corporate"players"in"Cluj"have"a"branch"of" ”business" intelligences”," which" offer" database" solutions" and" maintenance" services" for" the" various" information" produced" by" a" firm," needed" for" reporting" and" managerial" decision" making." Only" by" being" an" insider" of" a" specific" business" field" one" can" discover" the" pleasure" of" creativity" needed" in" puzzle"solving"that"has"consequences"for"the"survival"of"various"firms.)

Sometimes," it" becomes" stressful." And" you" also" bump" into" stupid" customers." Maybe" a" stupid" boss." And" then" you" change" the" firm" again." Until" you" find" eventually..." i" don’t" know..."back"then"I"wasn’t"on"a,"I"hadn’t"found"a"niche"that"I"actually"wanted"to"be"in."

Only"then"I"had"started"to"form"the"concept"of"what"I"wanted"to"become,"that"I"wanted" to"become"in"the"future"a"very"good"specialist"in"something,"a"specific"domain,"and"then," we’ll"see"about"a"managerial"position"and"this"kind"of"things."Business"intelligence"is"the" domain"I"want"to"be"in,"it"has"branches,"subFbranches,"in"IT"as"well."But"it’s"a"domain,"it’s" a" very" cool" and" interesting" thing" for" me," it’s" a" challenge." Because" when" you" draw" the" line," it’s" about" this." There" comes" a" time" when" you" reach" a" level" where" you" need" challenges"in"order"to"feel"motivated,"you"know,"to"feel"like"coming"to"work"(M,"25,"IT," tertiary"education)." " The" highly" skilled" workers" recurrently" make" a" distinction," that" superposes" partially" on" the" two" expertize"fields,"IT"and"HR,"but"not"necessarily."The"reality"of"a"professional"field"can"be"instituted" primarily" between" the" firms" or" alongside" the" firms." In' between' the' firms" professionalization" narrative,"as"in"the"case"of"the"Business"Intelligence"IT"subfield"above,"the"reality"of"a"professional" field" is" produced" by" searching" the" pleasure" of" doing" something" by" wandering" through" successive" organizations"until"one"finds"an"area"of"expertise,"vast"enough"to"be"solicited"by"a"multitude"of"firms," yet" specific" enough" to" be" sufficiently" rare" on" the" labour" market." In' the' alongside' the' firms" professionalization" narrative," as" in" the" case" of" most" of" the" interviewees" working" in" HR," the" firms" themselves" do" not" have" enough" expertize" to" sustain" and" legitimize" an" expertize" field." Therefore," partially" superpose" networks" of" knowledge" production" are" instituting" the" (sub)field" of" knowledge," alongside" the" firms." The" IT" workers" are" sometimes" referring" to" the" need" to" collaborate" with" academic"research"teams,"training"organizations"that"provide"certifications"and"support."While"these" types"of"parallel"networks"are"acknowledge,"they"do"not"have"the"weight"as"in"the"case"of"HR."The" HR" discipline" is" sustained" by" a" whole" field" of" periodical" expert" meetings," conferences," workshops," and"jobFshops."In"addition,"there"are"state"institutions"that"offer"qualifications"(Work"Inspectorate," Workforce"County"Agency),"standards"and"supervise"the"applications"of"the"laws"regulating"the"do’s" and" don’ts" of" personnel" handling." There" are" the" academic" networks" that" produce" knowledge" through" research" grants," in" need" for" “practitioners”" team" members." The" corporate" responsibility" programs"and"volunteering"projects"are"also"offering"for"the"HR"practitioner"spaces"to"exercise"new" ways" of" holding" together" a" team" through" intrinsic" motivational" strategies" and" with" little" or" no" resources."All"these"are"expending"and"deepening"the"expertise"of"a"(sub)field"and"sustain"its"reality" alongside"the"employing"firms."

7" "

" The" term" ”experience”" codes" exactly" the" ability" to" navigate" and" appropriate" expertise" in" the" networks"between"the"firms"or"the"networks"developed"along"the"firms."The"experience"is"the"basic" unit" of" meaning" that" is" infused" by" and" infuses" the" narrative" of" the" professionalization." Without" experience"one"cannot"find"its"professional"way,"cannot"develop"and"find"a"career,"and"no"future"job" can"be"secured"if"one"lacks"experience."Experience"is"produced"in"the"firm"but,"finally,"it"is"consider" experience" only" relationally" by" the" fact" that" it" can" be" traded" for" another" position" in" other" firm" or" advancement"on"the"internal"labour"market"of"the"current"firm."" " The"firm,"as"interviewees"suggest,"can"become"a"nodal"point"of"producing"experience"in"three"ways."

First," if" there" is" personal" commitment" for" acquiring" experience," in" spite" of" any" organizational" drawbacks."As"an"IT"employee"jokily"puts"it,"when"talking"of"scarcity"of"training"programs,"the"firms" still"offers"someone"the"possibility"to"become"a"”google"engineer”."That"is,"you"are"prompted"with" new"issues"that"can"be"solve"only"through"individual"study,"using"online"search"engines,"even"if"those" issues"are"not"in"the"job"description."Second,"the"professional"team"or"the"department"composed"of" your" professional" peers" are" the" one" with" whom" you" are" searching" for" unexpected" solutions," for" seemingly"impossible"situations,"which"appear"in"the"firms"or"in"relation"with"the"clients."They"are" the"audience"for"your"personal"projects;"the"ones"for"whom"you"find"interesting"new"cases;"they"are" those" with" whom" one" teams" up" for" developing" side" projects." Third," the" mixed" professional" teams" and" interFdepartmental" networks" formed" in" the" firm" are" sources" for" new" ideas," personal" development"and"appreciation."As"a"HR"specialist"summarizes"neatly"this"point:"" " Within" the" firm," there" are" people" who" are" young" and" oriented" towards" personal" development" and" multilateral" development." They" read" everything," they" don’t" limit" themselves"to"the"technical"profile,"they"like"arts,"culture,"they"read"about"management"and" then" they" understand" better." They" have" that" opening" that" allows" me" to" step" in." It’s" their" background,"their"personal"profile"and"their"age"(F,"25,"generalist"HR,"firma"IT)." " Skilled) workers." For" the" college" educated" there" is" evidence" in" the" literature" that" can" certify" the" global" character" of" the" personal" development" narrative" (Valenzuela," 2013;" Fejes," 2010)." Similarly," these" narratives" are" increasingly" documented" also" among" the" manual" workers." A" new" wave" of" studies"have"shown"that"various"programs"of"enhancing"the"employability"of"long"term"unemployed" (Garsten" and" Jacobsson," 2013)," socially" marginalized" (Simionca," 2013)," or" people" with" disabilities" (Elraz,"2013),"measure"success"in"terms"of"the"capacity"of"the"trainee"to"take"up"the"jargon"of"selfF betterment." A" major" part" of" the" structural" funds" available" at" EU" level" are" targeting" explicitly" the" enhancement"of"human"capital"through"instruments"of"raising"the"quality"of"human"resources"across" national" states." Through" these" programs" (i.e." European' Social' Fund,' Operational'Programme'for' Human'Resources'Development,'European'Globalisation'Adjustment'Fund,'etc.)"a"new"generation"of" projects"for"training"the"labour"force"have"emerged"also"in"Romania,"devised"explicitly"to"promote" selfFenterprising" selves," selfFdevelopment" and" selfFbetterment" of" the" employees" (Pavel," 2011;" Simionca,"2013)."The"firms"themselves"are"accessing"directly"these"programs"and"are"providing"for" their"employees"a"variety"of"media"and"trainings"that"put"forward"narratives"about"the"enterprising" worker" (Zincă," 2011)." Therefore," is" not" surprising" that" the" themes" of" the" importance" of" formalF education,"selfFeducation"and"personal"development"were"also"key"issues"raised"by"the"interviewees" witch"held"a"manual"jobs"position"or"were"in"search"for"manual"jobs."As"was"the"case"with"the"highly" 8" "

skilled"workers,"the"manual"workers"are"also"invited"to"uses"these"narratives"through"the"practices"of" CV" writing," selfFpresentation" during" the" job" interviews," or" for" organizational" claims" making."

However," the" skilled" and" unskilled" manual" workers" are" strongly" ambivalent" when" relating" to" the" theme"of"employability."

On" the" one" hand," education" is" strongly" prised" by" the" manual" workers" and" the" highly" skilled" colleagues"are"seen"as"part"of"an"enabling"milieu."The"education,"culture"and"mind"openness"of"the" coFworkers" are" prized" as" being" an" important" resources" that" facilities" knowledge" acquisition" and" a" certain" sense" of" joyful" work" environment." The" short" break" talks" or" the" afterhours" going" outs" are" reported"by"the"manual"workers"as"a"foremost"sources"of"selfFimprovement."On"the"other"hand,"the" skilled" workers" are" bitterly" conscious" that" the" firms" are" providing" training" to" those" who" are" performing"highly"skilled"nonFmanual"jobs"or"for"the"manual"job"supervisors."The"skilled"workers"are" constantly"left"out"of"any"formal"scheme"of"selfFimprovement."Higher"education"can"open"doors"to" new"highly"skill"jobs."High"qualifications"in"practical"knowledge"for"manual"employees"may"actually" be" detrimental" to" keeping" a" job," since" the" employer’s" way" to" reduce" the" production" cots" is" to" undermine"wage"negotiation"on"the"bases"of"qualifications."

The" skilled" workers" are" reporting" four" ways" in" which" their" organizational" claimsFmaking" based" on" qualifications"are"challenged"by"the"employer."First,"is"by"replacing"experienced"workers"with"cheap" inexperience"workers,"generally"younger"workers,"in"search"for"a"startFup"position."The"highly"skilled" workers"are"reporting"similar"strategies"on"behalf"of"the"employer."However,"there"are"no"informal" agreements" that" the" job" is" enhancing," even" slightly," the" employability" of" the" skilled" worker," furthering" her" future" job" security." On" the" contrary," the" firms" are" actively" engaged" in" undermining" such"a"fantasy,"through"arbitrarily"dismissals,"manual"high"wagers"trimming"from"the"personnel,"and" understaffing"with"constant"threatening"with"the"reserve"army."The"second"strategy"is"to"prefer"the" cheap"employees"in"search"for"extraFmoney,"i.e."retirees"with"a"pension"or"commuters"that"have"a" rural"household"and"supplement"their"resources"through"subsistence"agriculture."The"skilled"workers" are" either" replaced" or" are" threatened" to" be" replaced" by" such" cheap" workforce." In" the" below" quotation"a"skilled"worker,"that"was"holding"a"supervising"position"in"a"highFtech"logistic"facility"of"a" major" local" company" at" the" time" of" the" interview," explained" how" he" was" fired" from" his" previous" manufacturing"job"and"replaced"by"younger"unskilled"workers"and"retirees.""

The"employ"you,"they"qualify"you."Maybe"this"explain,"you"are"sending"your"CV"and"they"see" that"you"are"in"your"40s,"and"they"employ"someone"in"their"20s."“This"one"is"an"old"worker," for" sure" he'll" have" pretensions" for" higher" salary." A" junior" does" not" respond" back”." Instead" taking"a"good"craftsmen,"who"is"retiring"in"4F5"years,"employers"prefer"younger"and"cheaper" employees." They" don’t" know" their" job," and" they" qualify" them" for" 2F3" years." They" are" the" losers." The" boss" where" I" worked," there" were" making" sportswear," all" sorts," from" wood" and" metal"..."he"had"very"good"craftsmen"who"knew"all"the"products."He"closed"the"factory"[in" Cluj],"dismissed"everyone"and"opened"a"factory"in"Bucharest."He"worked"with"retirees,"which" had" nothing" to" do" with" carpentry" and" locksmith." And" he" took" also" some" youngsters." He" preferred" to" qualify" them," even" if" his" products" already" had" a" standard," especially" those" exported"(B,"40"to"12,"warehouseman)." " A" third" strategy" is" through" technological" improvements." The" skilled" manual" operator" is" made" redundant" by" technological" upgrades" and" sometimes" replaced" by" unskilled" operators." Therefore," 9" "

there" is" always" the" spectre" of" being" unemployed," regardless" of" one’s" skilled." In" the" case" of" the" manual"workers,"qualification"does"not"add"up"in"a"transferable"skill"that"can"be"relocated"to"another" job," as" in" the" case" of" the" highly" skilled" workers." The" pride" of" a" job" well" done" is" there." Also" the" pleasure" of" the" work" is" there." “So," I" like" what" I" do." Often," I" just" stay" and" help" my" colleague." You" know,"I"am"relaxing"when"I"work."Rather"than"sit"in"front"of"computer"or"whatever"else,"I"better"stay" there"a"little"longer."I"love"working"with"paper""(B,"50,"paper"mill"worker,"secondary"education)."Yet," the" skills" one" learn" in" operating" a" particular" machine," in" a" specific" industry," is" most" of" the" times" limited"to"that"specific"employer"and"only"sometimes"may"be"transferable"to"other"few"production" facilities,"in"the"same"branch."Along"the"twentieth"century"the"mechanical"automation"economically" devaluated"the"skillsets"and"practical"knowledge"of"the"trained"workers,"parallel"with"the"valuation" of" the" new" skills" of" white" collar" workers" and" engineers" (Braverman," 1974;" Burawoy," 1985;" Vallor," 2014)." The" narratives" offered" by" the" interviewees" are" hardly" surprising" given" this" greater" trend."

However,"maybe"what"is"different"is"the"way"work"is"embedded"in"the"discourse"of"selfFbetterment."

The" promise" of" employability" is" packed" for" the" skilled" workers" as" a" promise" for" a" career" between" firms"for"the"few"selected:"for"the"strongly"disciplined,"accepting"lower"wages,"and"skilled"enough"to" tailor"customized"products."The"same"skilled"worker"as"above,"working"in"a"paper"mill,"points"that" the" technological" upgrading" his" firm" went" meant" successive" waves" of" dismisses" with" their" disciplining"effects."He"retained"his"job"by"switching"to"providing"handmade"customized"services." " "And" they" brought" new" tools." What" we" were" doing" manually" now" is" done" with" automatic" machines..." the" machine" took" most" of" our" work." We" [the" employees]" do" now" only" personalized" envelopes," for" small" orders." If" there" are" orders," there" is" work;" if" there" is" no" demand," there" is" no" work." Slowly" they" started" laying" off." There" were" three" waves," or" so."

People"were"asking"“why"me,"why"not"the"other?"Why"exactly"me?”"Yeah…"so"there"is"this" norm,"it"is"specified"in"the"contract"that"if"you"do"not"accomplish"the"norm...."You"are"out"if" you" are" on" red...." “Who" should" I" kick" out?”" Well," they" kicked" out" those" who" were" on" red" repeatedly." You" can’t" lay" off" the" hard" working" ones." And" ..." after" all," you" are" paid" as" you" work."(B,"50,"paper"mill"worker,"secondary"education)" "" The"forth"way"to"undermine"claimsFmaking"based"on"qualifications,"is"by"inviting"the"labour"force"to" transform"selfFdiscipline"in"a"skill,"a"move"that"is"sometime"is"done"by"genderising"discipline."Most"of" the" skilled" interviewed" women" report" that" they" find" more" easily" jobs" than" man." That" is" not" surprising,"given"that"some"key"routine"manual"labour"markets"are"feminized"in"Cluj"(manufacturing" in"multinationals,"hospitality,"restaurants"and"coffee"shops,"retailing,"the"health"system,"education)."

Probably," an" illustration" of" this" point," is" an" interview" with" a" family" where" both" spouses," in" their" forties,"where"employed"in"the"same"firm."He"was"made"redundant,"while"she"kept"her"job."During" the"interview"she"talked"with"pride"about"her"ease"to"work"with"anybody,"her"capacity"to"be"part"of" any" collective," and" the" fact" that" she" did" not" lost" any" job" up" until" then." A" major" source" of" dignity" comes"from"her"diligence"and"willingness"to"work"in"any"condition."She"noticed"that"while"for"her"is" very" easy" to" find" new" jobs," for" her" husband" it" is" a" toil" finding" work." She" attributed" her" ability" in" keeping" jobs" exactly" to" her" industriousness." Her" husband" was" unemployed" at" the" time" of" the" interview"and"he"was"attributing"his"inability"to"find"jobs,"to"the"fact"that"cheap"inexperienced"men" were"preferred"by"employers."He"was"arguing"that"men"at"his"age"are"mostly"seen"by"the"employers" as"undesirable"mischiefs,"readily"to"always"negotiate"and"question"the"working"conditions."This"type" of" reading" of" the" labour" market" by" the" subjects" themselves" can" be" easily" seen" as" a" way" to" 10" "

problematize," through" the" lens" of" gender" roles," that" discipline" is" preferred" to" skills" in" the" manual" sectors." Industriousness" and" willing" to" put" up" with" any" conditions" to" keep" a" job" are" actually" recurrent"themes"that"appear"in"the"interviews"with"manual"workers,"regardless"of"their"gender."

Therefore,"the"ambivalence"of"the"skilled"workers"with"regard"the"theme"of"professionalization"and" acquiring"abilities"is"linked"with"the"particular"way"in"which"are"embedded"in"the"fields"of"firms,"that" are" offering" qualified" manual" jobs." The" promise" of" employability" means" becoming" more" willing" to" accept"contexts"of"discipline,"overtime,"small"wages,"and"no"transferable"skillsets."As"other"authors" have" observed," contemporary" deskilling" is" not" anymore" a" pressure" on" the" work" content" through" routinization" by" means" of" automation," in" the" classical" sense" of" (Braverman," 1974)." But," first," it" is" much" more" linked" to" the" fact" that" jobs" lost" through" the" introduction" of" information" and" communication" technologies" are" putting" pressure" on" the" not" yet" dismissed" employees" to" comply" (Baccini" and" Cioni," 2010)." Second," acquiring" skills" are" decreasingly" imagined" by" the" workers" themselves" as" resource" for" long" time" employment" in" a" firm" or" a" resource" that" enhances" employability" between" firms" (Vallor," 2014)," given" the" potential" threat" of" relocating" productionF related" occupations." The" way" this" is" narrativized" by" the" Cluj" skilled" interviewees" is" through" the" theme"of"the"“willing"employee”."Industriousness"and"selfFdiscipline"became"skills.""

Unskilled) workers." The" tension" between" industriousness" and" willingness" to" learn" new" practical" knowledge" is" even" bolder" in" the" case" of" unskilled" workers." The" interviewing" context" was" strongly" structured"by"constant"small"reminders"the"interviewees"made,"that"the"interviewer"is"an"educated" person." The" inherent" perceived" inequalities" were" constantly" redrawn" by" the" interviewees" through" emphasising"diligence"and"the"long"string"of"jobs"and"position"where"such"qualities"were"proved."

"I" never" gave" my" work" away";" "Where" you" put" me," there" I" stood" [and" worked]";" "I’ve" done" everything"." These" type" of" narratives" were" present" even" in" the" case" of" two" separate" interviewees" that"were"retiling"their"involvement"in"small"crook"jobs."Their"shrewdness"was"supplemented"by"the" hard"work"they"put"up"to"earn"their"money"on"the"grey"markets."In"fact,"for"all"the"unskilled"workers" interviewed" dignity" claims" were" strongly" embedded" in" the" narrative" of" the" hard" working" person" willing" to" do" things" right." But" that" dignity" is" continuously" challenged" by" the" lack" of" appropriate" education."As"a"maid"put"it""I"worked"as"a"maid,"as"a"tailor,"but"you"need"even"there"minimum"10" years"of"school""(F,"38,"unemployed,"primary"education)."Those"with"less"than"eight"year"of"formal" schooling"are"complaining"that"are"excluded"from"formal"market"and"they"rarely"have"formal"labour" contracts."" " As" all" interviewees" report" the" formal" market" for" unskilled" is" actually" restricted" by" the" need" for" qualifications." Just" to" take" an" example," to" be" employed" as" a" sanitation" worker" it" takes" a" lot" of" resources" and" effort," minimum" eight" years" of" schooling," a" health" apprise" given" by" the" general" practitioner," and" a" formal" paper" that" shows" that" you" have" a" regular" a" permanent" residence."

Additional"qualifications"and"driving"licence"is"needed"for"any"type"of"qualified"labour." " "I"worked"as"a"car"washer,"compacting"specialist,"seller."A"lot."Yes"it"is"very"hard,"especially" now"if"you"don’t"have"[enough"education]."For"example,"before"you"could"be"employed"in"a" carwash"without"8"years"of"schooling,"without"a"driving"license,"without"a"certificate"..."now" you" need" a" driving" license," certificate" that" you" can" work" in" a" carwash." You" need" a" lot" of" papers." As" compacting" specialist" at" the" sanitation" company" you" have" to" have" a" medical" paper,"you"must"be"certified,"driving"license"..."you"need"experience,"qualification"and"if"you" 11" "

didn’t"have"the"opportunity"to"finished"your"school"or"do"some"qualifications"you"cannot"be" employed."They"are"no"longer"looking"for"merchandise"handlers"or"similar"jobs..."they"search" qualified"handler,"with"driver"license."Better"work"illegally"than"with"all"these"papers.""(Male," 21"years"old,"8"years)" " Most"of"the"standards"are"imposed"by"the"state"itself,"as"minimum"formal"requirements"for"various" jobs."However,"the"national"threshold"for"various"jobs"is"around"8"years"of"formal"schooling,"while" the"interviewees"from"Cluj"enter"into"a"race"to"acquire"minimum"then"years"of"schooling,"to"enhance" their"employability."An"interviewee"with"eight"classes"reports"that"is"struggling"with"the"jail"warden," where"he"was"imprisoned"for"two"years,"to"send"him"the"certificate"that"proves"that"he"followed"two" additional" years" of" schooling" during" incarceration." The" 2" additional" years" of" schooling," may" luckily" add"to"the"already"8"classes."The"10"years"of"schooling"are"more"important"than"the"stigma"of"having" been"in"jail."" " When" prompted" by" the" interviewer," the" explanation" given" for" the" centrality" of" education," the" unskilled"workers"argued"that"an"uneducated"person"may"represent"for"the"employer"a"burden."In" fact,"any"additional"year"of"schooling"may"signal"that"the"employee"can"take"care"of"herself"and"may" learn"faster"any"practical"knowledge."One"interviewee"makes"even"the"difference"between"younger" employers"who"have"the"patients"to"explain"and"supervise"skills"acquisition"and"the"older"employers" who"expect"workers"to"learn"on"their"own"all"needed"practical"abilities."The"explanation"for"such"a" difference"is"placed"on"the"fact"that"the"young"employers"may"have"had"the"experience"of"roaming" between"firms"and"jobs"and"the"difficulty"to"adapt"to"a"new"environment,"while"the"older"employers" are"used"to"the"Fordist"socialist"arrangements"of"a"stable"milieu." " To"sum"up,"getting"skilled,"denied"the"skills"or"being"unskilled"enough"are"the"games"on"which"the" social" division" of" work" is" predicated" in" Cluj." The" promise" of" new" flexible" contract" between" the" employee" and" employer" is" that" of" employability" through" personal" development." This" promise" is" tested" in" many" ways" by" the" actors," but" the" most" important" is" that" of" upward" mobility" in" a" career" field."If"this"promise"can"be"verified"partially"by"those"with"tertiary"education,"especially"by"those"in" the"very"dynamic"IT"and"HR"fields,"this"type"of"promise"is"more"complicated"to"actualize"for"those" with" secondary" and" primary" education." The" flexible" contract" between" the" employee" and" the" employer"based"on"an"educated"enough"individual,"capable"of"seeing"the"job"as"a"bead"in"a"chain"of" positions,"puts"the"personnel"on"a"mission"to"search"for"the"beauty"of"experience."The"industrious" subject"is"invited"to"take"care"of"herself"in"the"employment"filed"produced"by"the"firms."This"type"of" contract"is"strongly"apolitical"and"transfers"the"burden"of"keeping"a"job"on"the"employee"willingness" to"work."" " The)selfFindulgent)worker" While"firms"are"evaluated"and"held"accountable"for"providing"or"not"an"adequate"environment"for" personal"development,"the"interviewees"proposed"also"complex"narratives"about"what"may"hinder" such"personal"development."Most"of"the"barriers"pertain"to"limited"control"over"the"organizational" environment:"the"hieratical"character"of"decision"making,"the"lack"of"information"sharing"about"the" managerial"strategies,"the"incomprehensive"character"of"rulemaking,"little"control"over"the"terms"of" the" contracts" signed" with" the" clients," the" little" control" over" the" personal" retention" policies," the" burden"to"train"the"new"colleagues"without"any"reduction"of"number"of"the"appointed"tasks,"overF 12" "

burdening" with" responsibilities" if" competences" are" shown." However," all" this" critiques" are" rarely" packaged" as" such." Most" of" the" time" these" critiques" are" surfacing" in" narratives" about" the" personal" character" of" the" colleagues" and" supervisors" or" about" how" well" are" organized" or" not" the" firms" by" various"managers"and"owners.)This"is"hardly"surprising"given"that"employees"claim"for"organizational" controls" are" transformed" into" individual" invitation" to" enhance" employability" and" selfF entrepreneurship." Organizational" and" job" security" claims" are" transformed" into" issue" pertaining" to" subject’s"worth."Succeeding"or"failing"becomes"a"matter"of"proving"the"workers"grace"on"the"labour" market." Organizational" claims" are" misshapen" in" dignity" claims." They" depoliticize" the" employee" relation"with"the"firm"by"politicizing"the"relation"of"subject"with"herFself"and,"as"argued"bellow,"with" the"other"workers,"occupying"various"positions"in"the"social"division"of"work." " For"the"highly"skilled"the"inability"to"be"getting"or"keeping"a"job"become"a"personal"failure,"and"only" rarely" is" articulated" as" a" direct" critique" of" the" firms" and" the" labour" market." Three" types" of" antiF heroes"emerge:"the"lazy,"the"unwise"skill"entrepreneur,"the"communist."The"first"antiFhero,"the"lazy," has" difficulties" finding" and" keeping" a" job" because" is" unwilling" to" work" and" acquire" relevant" experience."It"is"the"person"who"did"not"transformed"her"pleasures"of"doing"something"into"a"job."”I" have" faculty" colleagues" who" are" still" not" working." There" are" cases." Some" are" too" lazy”" (M," 25," IT," tertiary" education)." There" are" industries" in" Cluj" in" continuous" personnel" crisis." Everyone" can" be" integrated" on" the" labour" market" if" enough" effort" to" learn" is" put" up," if" selfFbetterment" is" the" main" drive"of"that"person." " The" second" antiFhero" is" the" person" who" did" not" invest" wise" enough" to" acquire" the" right" skillsets."

“Take"Delia"example."Up"until"she"did"not"use"her"friends"and"her"former"connections"in"other"firms" she"did"not"find" a"job,"regardless"where"she"interviewed,"her"background"being"only"logistics”"(M," 30,"Sell"support"engineer,"tertiary"education)."Delia"had"a"lot"of"experience"in"managing"the"logistic" of" a" firm." Yet," as" her" former" colleague" argues," she" had" difficulties" finding" the" next" job" since" she" invested"in"a"field"of"knowledge"that"restricted"her"career"field"to"few"employers."Only"by"mobilizing" her"networks"she"eventually"found"a"position"based"on"her"expertize."In"order"for"successive"jobs"to" add"up"in"building"up"experience"an"open"eye"is"needed"to"the"bigger"field"of"required"expertize."" ) The"third"antiFhero"is"the"communist"in"disguise."The"communist"is"the"unwilling"worker"to"learn"and" to"adapt,"is"the"beholder"of"old"communist"mentalities"(see"also"Petrovici,"2010;"Simionca,"2012b)."

No" one" is" exempted" from" this" type" of" disease," of" not" being" flexible" enough." The" managers" themselves,"the"supposedly"new"capitalist"figure,"cannot"be"really"exempted"of"this"suspicion,"even" those"working"in"the"multinationals:"“I"can"say"that"also"in"the"multinationals"is"the"same"deal"as"in" the"small"firms."Yes…"the"managers"have"the"same"style"of"doing"stuff:"the"communist"way”"(M,"30," IT," tertiary" education)." Communist" mentalities" were" exist" may" be" warned" out" through" appropriate" education,"inflicted"by"direct"business"contacts"and"effort"to"adapt"to"the"labour"market."Those"who" do"not"supposedly"conform"to"the"requirement"of"employability"are"consistently"relegated"to"the"old" ways"of"doing."" " I"have"not"lived"in"the"communist"era,"but"all"my"teachers"had"lived"in"the"communist"period," our"parents"lived"in"the"communist"era,"all"those"in"charge"now,"they"lived"in"the"communist" period." We" live," in" a" certain" way," in" communism" now!" During" the" transition" from" communism"to"capitalism,"well,"democracy,"whatever"you"want"to"call"it,"many"people"have" 13" "

snapped."What"I"mean"is"that"in"capitalism"you"have"to"change"quickly"your"whole"mentality."

You" have" to" change" often" and" very" quickly" your" job," your" location" very" quickly." In" communism"your"job"was"guaranteed,"for"life;"you"had"an"apartment,"you"had"a"house."Your" life"was"guaranteed."I"am"‘not"saying"that"communism"is"a"good"thing,"I"don’t"say"Marxism"is" a" good" thing," but" I" don’t" know" how" you" could" reach" a" better" society" without" changing" people's"minds""(Male,"26,"IT,"secondary"education)" " The"antiFcommunist"discourse"is"intimately"linked"with"the"employability"narrative."As"visible"in"the" above" quotation," communism" is" equated" with" the" Fordist" socialist" factory," which" offered" a" career" and" associated" resources" (wages," an" apartment," a" car)" in" reward" for" one’s" loyalty." Capitalism" is" equated" with" flat" and" flexible" organization." The" communist" worker" becomes" the" epitome" of" the" employee"in"search"for"the"stable"contract,"while"the"capitalist"worker"stands"for"the"flexible"subject."

The" legitimate" criticism" against" the" Fordist" work" arrangements" are" overwritten" by" the" facile" opposition"between"communism"and"capitalism."Nonetheless,"the"above"quotation"is"not"exempted" of"ambiguities."The"interviewee"feels"the"need"to"defend"himself"of"some"sort"of"accusation"of"being" a"defender"of"“communism”"and"“Marxism”"since"the"undertones"of"his"opposition"makes"capitalism" a"system"without"any"comfort"and"stability."However,"exactly"such"interFdiscursive"hybridization"and" problematic"polarities"even"for"the"subject"themselves"hinders"the"articulation"of"a"critical"discourse" at" an" organizational" level" against" the" flexible" arrangements," and" deflects" it" towards" an" impersonation"of"an"illegitimate"figure,"the"“communist"worker”."" " More" generally," the" contemporary" manual" worker" comes" to" embody" sui' generis" the" allegedly" old" system"rests."Therefore,"the"worker"who"already"has"an"apartment"and"has"benefited"from"the"old" communist" educational" system," if" he" earns" only" the" minimum" wage" is" clearly" indulging" in" his" situation."A"diligent"person"would"have"had"invested"already"in"selfFeducation"and"selfFdevelopment," in" order" to" benefit" from" the" market" opportunities." The" skilled" worker" fuses," somehow," all" three" types"of"antiFheroes"in"one"figure:"the"lazy"incapable"of"learning"subject,"the"unwise"employee"who" invested"in"skills"that"are"not"validated"by"the"market,"and"the"confortable"individual"who"expects"to" be" provided" by" the" system," as" in" the" old" communist" times." Below" is" a" short" illustration" of" this" discursive"fusion,"taken"from"an"interviewee"working"in"IT,"as"software"developer."He"was"enrolled"at" the" Technical" University" but" never" finished" it." He" was" steadily" employed" form" the" second" college" year" and" he" has" a" high" monthly" wage." When" prompted" to" discuss" the" fate" of" the" workers" on" the" labour"market"synthetically"delivers"the"“selfFindulging"worker”"narrative." " Take"a"man"who"goes"and"works"for"700"lei"[150"Euro]."He"isn’t"necessarily"a"poor"man,"he"is" a"man"who"lives"from"one"day"to"another,"but,"perhaps,"that"man"once"had"a"much"better" social"standing."The"state"gave"him"once"an"apartment,"which"does"mean"that"he"isn’t"paying" a" rent." He" has" a" place" to" stay." In" my" view" this" kind" of" a" man" is" indulging" in" his" position." I" mean"with"that"money,"700"lei"[150"Euro]"he"knows"that"he"can"live"from"month"to"month," or"from"day"to"day."He"has"a"place"where"to"stay,"to"sleep"and"to"eat"something."The"basic."

That" man" could" selfFeducate" himself," at" least" a" little" bit." He" could" do" much" more."

Professionally" he" can" do" much" more," he" could" go" to" some" classes," he" could" be" more" informed"(M,"28,"IT,"secondary"education)." "

14" "

The" manual" workers" respond" to" such" implicit" accusations" by" stressing" their" willingness" to" work." ”Please" believe" me," I" am" diligent," when" I" lay" my" hand" on" something" I" work" very" hard." I" work" like" crazy." Everybody" was" saying" that" I" was" working" as" three" men”" (F," 45," textile" worker," secondary" education,)."In"fact,"the"major"filter"through"which"a"person’s"dignity"is"evaluated"is"that"of"his"or"her" industriousness."Those"who"do"not"work"are"easily"indexed"as"lazy,"by"the"workers"themselves."The" claim"to"dignity"based"on"diligence"is"hardly"a"new"phenomenon,"yet"is"strongly"exacerbated"by"the" flexibilization"of"the"contracts"through"the"personal"development"narrative." " The" communist" trope" is" a" recurrent" interFdiscursive" hybridization" also" for" the" skilled" workers."

However," the" logic" is" quite" different." Communism" is" imagined" as" a" much" more" equitable" system," where"all"workers"were"benefiting"from"the"rips"of"industrialization"and"development."“There"is"no" more" that" middle" layer," now" there" are" either" poor" or" wealthy." Before" [in" communist" times]" there" were" all…in" the" middle." There" is" no" middle" class" anymore”" (M," 40," worker," secondary" education)."

This" type" of" narrative" is" hardly" specific" to" Cluj." The" workers" in" core" capitalist" countries" are" also" nostalgic"for"the"security"offered"by"the"Fordist"arrangements."But"what"is"specific"here"is"that"the" old" factory" security" is" equated" with" socialism," and" the" new" flexible" contracts" with" their" precariousness" are" equated" with" capitalism." The" interviewees" are" superposing" on" the" socialist" factory"the"fond"memories"of"solidarity"and"steady"job,"and"relegate"the"contemporary"world"to"a" harsh"uncaring"environment."" " This"interFdiscursive"hybridization"bifurcates"in"two"major"themes"with"relative"autonomy,"but"which" forms" a" field" of" discursive" plausibility" for" dignity" claim" making" in" the" confine" of" the" employability" narrative." On" the" one" hand," given" the" invitation" of" the" employability" narrative" to" depoliticize" the" organization,"manual"workers"also"attribute"their"misfortunes"to"the"whims"of"interactions"with"the" colleagues,"supervisors,"managers"and"owners"–"confirming"Cremin’s"(2010)"insight"on"centrality"of" the"manager"in"the"flexible"firm."The"employer’s"quest"to"devaluate"their"skills"or"to"relegate"them"to" the"unskilled"enough"categories"are"attributed"to"their"lack"of"moral"fibre,"and"in"many"interviews" are"generalized"in"the"trope"of"the"unordered"society."Sometimes,"these"frustrations"are"expressed" in"rents"about"the"uncivilized"Romanians"and"backward"mentalities."“Cluj"is"developed,"it"has"small" parks,"and"trash"bins"and"..."still,"people"throw"on"the"floor"the"food,"and"walk"on"the"grass."They" don’t"care."There"is"a"crosswalk,"but"still"he"is"now"crossing"on"it."And"it"is"futile"to"tell"the"child"to"go" on" the" crosswalk" if" he" sees" the" elders" disregarding" the" traffic" signs”" (M," 45," manual" worker," secondary"education)."Time"after"time,"the"manual"workers"come"back"in"interviews"to"the"theme" unruly"society"and"the"fantasy"of"the"interviewer"being"or"playing"the"role"of"a"bastion"of"stability" and"morality."" " On"the"other"hand,"there"is"an"important"discursive"continuity"between"what"was"relegated"in"the" socialist"Fordist"imaginary"as"the"unruly"worker"escaping"the"stability"of"the"factory"regime"and"what" is"now"the"undisciplined"worker" resisting" the" constrained" of" the" flexible" organization."This" place" is" filled"with"various"phantasmatic"objects:"the"welfare"dependent,"the"rural"worker,"the"early"retiree," the"uncivilized"workers"from"the"eastern"part"of"Romania"(„moldovean”)."Yet"a"privileged"character" is"“the"gypsy”."" " “Why"not"try"to"integrate"them"somewhere"in"the"countryside?"Why"shouldn’t"they"work"in" agriculture?"Those"people"[the"gypsy"from"the"colony"near"the"city"landfill]"must"be"thought" 15" "

the"culture"of"labour,"not"the"culture"of"begging."We"cannot"be"obliged"to"accept"that"our" downtown" parks" to" be" occupied" by" some" people" with" tribal" mentality”" (M," 37," manual" worker,"secondary"education)."" " ”The" gypsy”" is" someone" incapable" of" working" neither" in" the" socialist" factory," nor" in" the" capitalist" one;"incapable"to"live"neither"in"the"socialist"block"of"flat,"or"in"the"leisure"city"of"capitalism;"both"a" lazy" person," unwilling" to" work" enough," and" an" uncontrollable," unruly" person." This" imaginary" is" far" from" being" a" product" of" the" organizational" dynamics," it" is" linked" to" the" greater" neoliberal" marginalization"processes"(Vincze,"2013)."Nonetheless,"the"figure"of"the"„gypsy”"is"very"instrumental" in" making" organizational" claims." Workers" can" respond" to" the" accusation" of" being" lazy" by" acknowledging"that"there"are"lazy"people,"gypsies"are"case"in"point,"and"distancing"from"such"kind"of" people."It"would"be"hard"to"face"the"accusation"of"being"lazy"if"the"worker"would"have"to"respond"as" an" individual" by" contesting" the" very" category" through" which" she" is" (d)evaluated." Even" the" Roma" workers" are" playing" such" positioning" strategies." A" Roma" interviewee" made" a" clear" distinction" between" “the" lazy" and" filthy" gypsy”" and" themselves," a" hardFworking" and" educated" persona." As" opposed"to"the"lazy"gypsy,"so"lazy"that"it"is"incapable"of"keeping"a"minimum"personal"hygiene,"the" “working"gypsy”"actually"cannot"qualify"as"a"“gypsy”."" " Everyone"went"to"the"office"manager"and"said"..."this"lady"has"to"be"hired"..."when"she"comes" to"work,"we"are"going"with"pleasure"to"the"bathroom."She"disinfects"from"a"to"z,"she"puts" hydrochloric" thoroughly...." She" said" to" me" one" day..." Lady" you" deserve" to" work" here," you" deserve"a"contract."Your"hand"is"of"gold,"it"is"visible"where"your"lay"down"your"hands."And" the"boss"..."he"goes"and"brings"me"a"coffee."And"I"said"that"“I"am"a"Gypsy”,"and"he"said"..."“Do" not"ever"say"that."You"are"gypsy?"No"way,"you"work”."(F,"45,"genitor,"primary"education)" " In" the" above" interview" excerpt" the" genitor" in" her" forty" explains" how" she" cannot" be" called" a" gypsy" because"she"is"a"hard"working"person."She"deserves"even"a"proper"job"contract."In"fact,"the"manager" of" the" firm" where" she" worked" prompted" here" to" quit" calling" herself" a" “gypsy”," she" is" a" diligent" person."The"interviewee"herself"tackles"the"issue"of"stigma"with"the"trope"of"industriousness3."" " To"sum"up,"the"employability"narrative"while"it"depoliticizes"the"relation"between"the"employer"and" employee,"it"politicizes"the"relationship"between"employees"and"the"labour"market."Claims"toward" job" security," a" stable" position" and" sharing" the" burden" of" flexibility" become" increasingly" hard" to" articulate" at" an" organizational" level," or" at" a" greater" scale." Getting" and" keeping" a" job" are" personal" issues," which" can" be" avoided" through" willingness" to" work" and" selfFbetterment." While" these" are" discursive"invitation,"the"surprising"effect"is"that"these"criteria"are"used"for"classificatory"purposes"by" the" employers" themselves," to" assess" their" own" worthiness" and" worthiness" of" the" others." The" employability" narrative" becomes" a" lens" through" which" the" workers" assess" the" other" workers." It" becomes"a"narrative"that"politicizes"the"relation"between"workers."Yet,"not"by"providing"solidarity," """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 3

" „The" gypsy”" is" a" trope" used" also" by" the" highly" skilled" workers" for" organizational" claim" making." When" prompted" by" the" interviewer" about" the" unskilled" Roma" leaving" in" the" informal" colony" near" the" city" landfill," most"of"the"highly"skilled"workers"attribute"their"dire"situation"to"their"inability"to"learn."Structural"condition" made"them"unwilling"and"incapable"of"selfFeducation."The"main"filter"which"sorts"people"out"in"the"personal" development"narrative"is"the"willingness"to"learn."Those"who"are"incapable"to"do"that"are"lazy,"or"are"made" lazy"by"the"structure."“The"gypsy”"is"“structurally"lazy”."

16" "

on" the" contrary," by" dividing" them" in" a" gradient" of" worthiness." The" class" struggle" between" the" employer"and"employees"are"deflected"into"class"tension"between"the"various"faction"of"the"working" class." " " Conclusion)) Following" the" fate" of" highly" skilled" workers" in" Information" Technology" and" Human" Resources" I" described"the"way"the"employability"narratives"and"practices"embeds"the"employee"in"the"fields"of" firms"in"Cluj,"Romania."The"highly"flexible"contract,"from"the"IT"and"HR"sectors,"does"not"come"with" any" strings" attached" between" the" employee" and" employers." On" the" contrary," the" employee" is" loosely"linked"to"the"firm"and"strongly"linked"to"a"career"field"between"firms."The"employee"is"invited" in" the" firm" to" participate" in" collaborative" fluxes" of" production" with" the" colleagues." Also," the" employee" is" invited" to" contribute" to" socialized" fluxes" of" knowledge" production" through" career" building" in" the" successive" position" held" in" various" firms." Professionalization," seen" as" personal" development,"is"predicated"on"the"need"to"take"personal"responsibility"in"connecting"constantly"to" other"firms"and"networks"of"knowledge."However,"the"employee"individualized"and"decupled"from" organizational" controls." No" instruments" are" left" to" control" the" organization" except" the" personal" relations"developed"with"supervisor"and"the"colleagues."The"employability"narrative,"in"its"full"form" in" these" very" dynamic" sectors" of" the" labour" force," the" IT" and" HR," becomes" a" device" used" by" the" employer"to"discipline"the"skilled"and"unskilled"workers."However,"the"potential"critical"character"of" this"narrative,"of"organizational"claim"making"based"on"qualification,"is"neutralized"by"various"tactics" in" which" the" manual" employee" is" invited" to" imagine" herself" as" always" replaceable" by" others," potentially"less"skilled"employees,"but"with"an"appetite"for"learning."If"one"is"not"confortable"within"a" particular"organizational"setting"she"always"can"search"to"another"job"in"another"firm."

Organizational"critiques"against"the"arbitrary"power"relation,"dispossession"of"the"means"to"control" decisions" and" information" flows" have" become" increasingly" difficult" to" be" formulated" against" hegemonic" employability" narrative" and" practices," which" depoliticizes" the" employeeFemployer" relations." On" the" contrary," such" critiques" are" increasingly" deflected" in" narratives" that" upsurge" the" tension" between" various" working" class" factions." The" interviewed" highly" skilled" workers" are" questioning"the"dignity"of"the"manual"workers"through"the"trope"of"selfFeducation."Manual"workers" are" allegedly" bearers" of" communist" mentalities," nostalgic" over" the" security" of" the" Fordist" factory," lazy" because" of" unwillingness" to" transform" into" the" new" flexible" subject." The" manual" workers" are" claiming" back" their" position" in" the" public" hierarchy" of" worth" by" playing" the" card" of" diligence" and" industriousness." This" card" is" far" from" neutral," since" it" solicits" a" delimitation" game" against" the" phantasmatic" lazy" workers," best" embody" by" the" elusive" “gypsy�." Not" surprisingly," the" interviewed" unskilled" Roma" are" responding" to" such" devaluation" by" reclaiming" diligence," only" to" reinforce" the" trope"of"the"dignity"predicated"on"the"hard"working"phantasm."

This"game"of"worth"claiming"gains"plausibility"because"of"structural"transformation"of"the"city’s"social" stratification"as"the"aggregate"demand"changes."The"personal"development"narrative"in"Cluj"holds"in" those"factions"of"the"working"class"where"there"was"an"expansion"of"the"total"number"of"jobs,"as"was" the"case"of"professionals."In"last"ten"years"the"highly"qualified"jobs"rose"in"Cluj"with"more"than"22" 000" jobs," i.e." 18%." However," personal" development" is" less" credible" for" those" who" witness" the" conversion"of"the"jobs"lost"in"manufacturing,"in"the"city,"into"less"secured"jobs"as"service"workers."

But"what"seems"to"be"a"structural"transformation"becomes,"in"terms"of"policies"and"discursively,"an" 17" "

individual" question" of" adaptability" and" selfFworth." And" ultimately," as" I" suggest" in" this" paper," a" question" of" being" invited" to" evaluate" the" worth" in" terms" of" employability." As" suggested" by" the" literature"(see"Chertkovskaya"et"al.,"2013)"this"is"far"from"being"a"urban"Eastern"European"issue."It"is" global"in"breath."However"the"particular"interFdiscursive"hybridizations"and"the"particular"history"of" the"transformation"of"the"socialist"Fordist"regime"into"a"postFFordist"one"makes"more"visible"the"way" class"struggle"is"deflected"in"tensions"between"factions"of"the"working"class." "" " References) Alvesson" M" and" Sveningsson" S." (2008)" Changing' Organizational' Culture:' Cultural' Change' Work' in' Progress,'New"York:"Routledge."

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