In the 1980s, approximately 100,000 full-time workers, mostly professionals, civil servants, and teachers, belonged to unions (see Interest Groups , ch. 4). Virtually all unions were under the umbrella of the General Federation of Ivoirian Workers (Union Générale des Travilleurs de Côte d'Ivoire--UGTCI), which was tightly controlled by the party and, by extension, the government. Consequently, the leadership of the UGTCI invariably supported the government in its efforts to promote unity and development, often at the expense of labor. As a political force, the UGTCI exercised little clout.
Data as of November 1988