The paper is an analytical essay on the future of labour law under conditions of ‘new feudalism’, understood as an order of dependency based on the ownership of infrastructure and data, in which the protection of rights becomes conditional and selective. It begins with the claim that in such a configuration labour law loses its universalist character and increasingly functions as a licence granted to selected groups of workers rather than as an instrument for mitigating inequalities. The author shows how the concentration of ownership, the fissuring of workplaces and the digital organisation of employment lead to the deinstitutionalisation of labour law, the erosion of the collective subjectivity in the world of work and the progressive juridification of inequality. The platform economy and complex subcontracting chains are treated as a lens through which a broader tectonic shift becomes visible: the transfer of real power from workers to the owners of infrastructure and data. In conclusion, the text highlights the gap between ‘islands of progress’ case law and new regulations and the ‘sea of erosion’ of everyday enforcement, where institutions increasingly perform only the ritual of protection. The essay does not offer a catalogue of reforms but invites reflection on the language in which work can still be described and defended as a source of subjectivity, rather than merely as a transaction.
English
Język Polski