diff --git a/drivers/mtd/ubi/build.c b/drivers/mtd/ubi/build.c
index 5953e36..617c63e 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/ubi/build.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/ubi/build.c
@@ -668,7 +668,9 @@
 	 * checks @ubi->thread_enabled. Otherwise we may fail to wake it up.
 	 */
 	ubi->thread_enabled = 1;
-	wake_up_process(ubi->bgt_thread);
+
+	/* No threading, call ubi_thread directly */
+	ubi_thread(ubi);
 
 	ubi_devices[ubi_num] = ubi;
 
diff --git a/drivers/mtd/ubi/ubi.h b/drivers/mtd/ubi/ubi.h
index 89e3347..1f0ad38 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/ubi/ubi.h
+++ b/drivers/mtd/ubi/ubi.h
@@ -788,7 +788,7 @@
 int ubi_wl_scrub_peb(struct ubi_device *ubi, int pnum);
 int ubi_wl_init(struct ubi_device *ubi, struct ubi_attach_info *ai);
 void ubi_wl_close(struct ubi_device *ubi);
-int ubi_thread(void *u);
+int ubi_thread(struct ubi_device *ubi);
 struct ubi_wl_entry *ubi_wl_get_fm_peb(struct ubi_device *ubi, int anchor);
 int ubi_wl_put_fm_peb(struct ubi_device *ubi, struct ubi_wl_entry *used_e,
 		      int lnum, int torture);
diff --git a/drivers/mtd/ubi/wl.c b/drivers/mtd/ubi/wl.c
index f24c219..a368bf9 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/ubi/wl.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/ubi/wl.c
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@
 	ubi->works_count += 1;
 
 	/* No threading in barebox, so do work synchronously */
-	do_work(ubi);
+	ubi_thread(ubi);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1329,6 +1329,29 @@
 }
 
 /**
+ * ubi_thread - UBI background thread.
+ * @ubi: UBI device description object
+ *
+ * for barebox this is no thread, instead it's called synchronously from
+ * __schedule_ubi_work(). This is the place that makes sure all pending
+ * work is done.
+ */
+int ubi_thread(struct ubi_device *ubi)
+{
+	while (!list_empty(&ubi->works)) {
+		if (!ubi->thread_enabled)
+			return 0;
+
+		if (ubi->ro_mode)
+			return 0;
+
+		do_work(ubi);
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/**
  * shutdown_work - shutdown all pending works.
  * @ubi: UBI device description object
  */