diff --git a/include/haproxy/task-t.h b/include/haproxy/task-t.h
index 54455c7a8..415a490cb 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/task-t.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/task-t.h
@@ -162,22 +162,6 @@ struct tasklet {
  */
 
 
-/* A work_list is a thread-safe way to enqueue some work to be run on another
- * thread. It consists of a list, a task and a general-purpose argument.
- * A work is appended to the list by atomically adding a list element to the
- * list and waking up the associated task, which is done using work_add(). The
- * caller must be careful about how operations are run as it will definitely
- * happen that the element being enqueued is processed by the other thread
- * before the call returns. Some locking conventions between the caller and the
- * callee might sometimes be necessary. The task is always woken up with reason
- * TASK_WOKEN_OTHER and a context pointing to the work_list entry.
- */
-struct work_list {
-	struct mt_list head;
-	struct task *task;
-	void *arg;
-};
-
 #endif /* _HAPROXY_TASK_T_H */
 
 /*
diff --git a/include/haproxy/task.h b/include/haproxy/task.h
index 360fd8778..aa9e3b2e3 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/task.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/task.h
@@ -110,11 +110,6 @@ void task_kill(struct task *t);
 void tasklet_kill(struct tasklet *t);
 void __task_wakeup(struct task *t);
 void __task_queue(struct task *task, struct eb_root *wq);
-
-struct work_list *work_list_create(int nbthread,
-                                   struct task *(*fct)(struct task *, void *, unsigned int),
-                                   void *arg);
-void work_list_destroy(struct work_list *work, int nbthread);
 unsigned int run_tasks_from_lists(unsigned int budgets[]);
 
 /*
@@ -684,13 +679,6 @@ static inline int notification_registered(struct list *wake)
 	return !LIST_ISEMPTY(wake);
 }
 
-/* adds list item <item> to work list <work> and wake up the associated task */
-static inline void work_list_add(struct work_list *work, struct mt_list *item)
-{
-	MT_LIST_TRY_APPEND(&work->head, item);
-	task_wakeup(work->task, TASK_WOKEN_OTHER);
-}
-
 #endif /* _HAPROXY_TASK_H */
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/task.c b/src/task.c
index 7ce07dadc..2d063d91b 100644
--- a/src/task.c
+++ b/src/task.c
@@ -859,51 +859,6 @@ void process_runnable_tasks()
 		activity[tid].long_rq++;
 }
 
-/* create a work list array for <nbthread> threads, using tasks made of
- * function <fct>. The context passed to the function will be the pointer to
- * the thread's work list, which will contain a copy of argument <arg>. The
- * wake up reason will be TASK_WOKEN_OTHER. The pointer to the work_list array
- * is returned on success, otherwise NULL on failure.
- */
-struct work_list *work_list_create(int nbthread,
-                                   struct task *(*fct)(struct task *, void *, unsigned int),
-                                   void *arg)
-{
-	struct work_list *wl;
-	int i;
-
-	wl = calloc(nbthread, sizeof(*wl));
-	if (!wl)
-		goto fail;
-
-	for (i = 0; i < nbthread; i++) {
-		MT_LIST_INIT(&wl[i].head);
-		wl[i].task = task_new(1UL << i);
-		if (!wl[i].task)
-			goto fail;
-		wl[i].task->process = fct;
-		wl[i].task->context = &wl[i];
-		wl[i].arg = arg;
-	}
-	return wl;
-
- fail:
-	work_list_destroy(wl, nbthread);
-	return NULL;
-}
-
-/* destroy work list <work> */
-void work_list_destroy(struct work_list *work, int nbthread)
-{
-	int t;
-
-	if (!work)
-		return;
-	for (t = 0; t < nbthread; t++)
-		task_destroy(work[t].task);
-	free(work);
-}
-
 /*
  * Delete every tasks before running the master polling loop
  */