diff --git a/drivers/mtd/mtd_blkdevs.c b/drivers/mtd/mtd_blkdevs.c
index 26ef2a72bda..5ad39bb5ab4 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/mtd_blkdevs.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/mtd_blkdevs.c
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
 #include <linux/hdreg.h>
 #include <linux/init.h>
 #include <linux/mutex.h>
-#include <linux/kthread.h>
 #include <asm/uaccess.h>
 
 #include "mtdcore.h"
@@ -121,16 +120,14 @@ static int do_blktrans_request(struct mtd_blktrans_ops *tr,
 
 int mtd_blktrans_cease_background(struct mtd_blktrans_dev *dev)
 {
-	if (kthread_should_stop())
-		return 1;
-
 	return dev->bg_stop;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(mtd_blktrans_cease_background);
 
-static int mtd_blktrans_thread(void *arg)
+static void mtd_blktrans_work(struct work_struct *work)
 {
-	struct mtd_blktrans_dev *dev = arg;
+	struct mtd_blktrans_dev *dev =
+		container_of(work, struct mtd_blktrans_dev, work);
 	struct mtd_blktrans_ops *tr = dev->tr;
 	struct request_queue *rq = dev->rq;
 	struct request *req = NULL;
@@ -138,7 +135,7 @@ static int mtd_blktrans_thread(void *arg)
 
 	spin_lock_irq(rq->queue_lock);
 
-	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
+	while (1) {
 		int res;
 
 		dev->bg_stop = false;
@@ -156,15 +153,7 @@ static int mtd_blktrans_thread(void *arg)
 				background_done = !dev->bg_stop;
 				continue;
 			}
-			set_current_state(TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);
-
-			if (kthread_should_stop())
-				set_current_state(TASK_RUNNING);
-
-			spin_unlock_irq(rq->queue_lock);
-			schedule();
-			spin_lock_irq(rq->queue_lock);
-			continue;
+			break;
 		}
 
 		spin_unlock_irq(rq->queue_lock);
@@ -185,8 +174,6 @@ static int mtd_blktrans_thread(void *arg)
 		__blk_end_request_all(req, -EIO);
 
 	spin_unlock_irq(rq->queue_lock);
-
-	return 0;
 }
 
 static void mtd_blktrans_request(struct request_queue *rq)
@@ -199,10 +186,8 @@ static void mtd_blktrans_request(struct request_queue *rq)
 	if (!dev)
 		while ((req = blk_fetch_request(rq)) != NULL)
 			__blk_end_request_all(req, -ENODEV);
-	else {
-		dev->bg_stop = true;
-		wake_up_process(dev->thread);
-	}
+	else
+		queue_work(dev->wq, &dev->work);
 }
 
 static int blktrans_open(struct block_device *bdev, fmode_t mode)
@@ -437,14 +422,13 @@ int add_mtd_blktrans_dev(struct mtd_blktrans_dev *new)
 
 	gd->queue = new->rq;
 
-	/* Create processing thread */
-	/* TODO: workqueue ? */
-	new->thread = kthread_run(mtd_blktrans_thread, new,
-			"%s%d", tr->name, new->mtd->index);
-	if (IS_ERR(new->thread)) {
-		ret = PTR_ERR(new->thread);
+	/* Create processing workqueue */
+	new->wq = alloc_workqueue("%s%d", 0, 0,
+				  tr->name, new->mtd->index);
+	if (!new->wq)
 		goto error4;
-	}
+	INIT_WORK(&new->work, mtd_blktrans_work);
+
 	gd->driverfs_dev = &new->mtd->dev;
 
 	if (new->readonly)
@@ -484,9 +468,8 @@ int del_mtd_blktrans_dev(struct mtd_blktrans_dev *old)
 	/* Stop new requests to arrive */
 	del_gendisk(old->disk);
 
-
-	/* Stop the thread */
-	kthread_stop(old->thread);
+	/* Stop workqueue. This will perform any pending request. */
+	destroy_workqueue(old->wq);
 
 	/* Kill current requests */
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&old->queue_lock, flags);
diff --git a/include/linux/mtd/blktrans.h b/include/linux/mtd/blktrans.h
index ed270bd2e4d..4eb0a50d0c5 100644
--- a/include/linux/mtd/blktrans.h
+++ b/include/linux/mtd/blktrans.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include <linux/mutex.h>
 #include <linux/kref.h>
 #include <linux/sysfs.h>
+#include <linux/workqueue.h>
 
 struct hd_geometry;
 struct mtd_info;
@@ -43,7 +44,8 @@ struct mtd_blktrans_dev {
 	struct kref ref;
 	struct gendisk *disk;
 	struct attribute_group *disk_attributes;
-	struct task_struct *thread;
+	struct workqueue_struct *wq;
+	struct work_struct work;
 	struct request_queue *rq;
 	spinlock_t queue_lock;
 	void *priv;