[ Gouvernance et identité sociale des syndicalistes: Cas des dockers des Entreprises de Manutention du Port Autonome d’Abidjan (SEMPA) ]
Volume 81, Issue 1, October 2025, Pages 12–19
Yannick Carl Elvis Gnakabi1, Simon Adon Affessi2, and Landry Niava Bogui3
1 Département de Sociologie, Université Peleforo Gon COULIBALY de Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire
2 Département de Sociologie, Université Peleforo Gon COULIBALY de Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire
3 Département de Sociologie, Université Jean Lorougnon GUEDE de Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire
Original language: French
Copyright © 2025 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
In a work environment marked by danger and precariousness, trade union action constitutes a central lever for dockworkers at the Port of Abidjan to defend their rights. This study analyzes the social profile of dockworker trade unionists and their repertoires of action, based on a methodology combining direct observation, individual interviews, and documentary research. The findings show that union leaders generally come from among the most experienced dockworkers and possess a higher level of education than the average of their peers. Their legitimacy relies on the strategic use of narrative and symbolic resources, while, in certain situations, resorting to forms of physical violence. The article highlights the tensions between internal solidarity, power struggles, and structural constraints in a context where institutional mechanisms for worker protection remain limited.
Author Keywords: solidarity, multiplicity, collective organization, dominant identities, social security.
Volume 81, Issue 1, October 2025, Pages 12–19
Yannick Carl Elvis Gnakabi1, Simon Adon Affessi2, and Landry Niava Bogui3
1 Département de Sociologie, Université Peleforo Gon COULIBALY de Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire
2 Département de Sociologie, Université Peleforo Gon COULIBALY de Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire
3 Département de Sociologie, Université Jean Lorougnon GUEDE de Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire
Original language: French
Copyright © 2025 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
In a work environment marked by danger and precariousness, trade union action constitutes a central lever for dockworkers at the Port of Abidjan to defend their rights. This study analyzes the social profile of dockworker trade unionists and their repertoires of action, based on a methodology combining direct observation, individual interviews, and documentary research. The findings show that union leaders generally come from among the most experienced dockworkers and possess a higher level of education than the average of their peers. Their legitimacy relies on the strategic use of narrative and symbolic resources, while, in certain situations, resorting to forms of physical violence. The article highlights the tensions between internal solidarity, power struggles, and structural constraints in a context where institutional mechanisms for worker protection remain limited.
Author Keywords: solidarity, multiplicity, collective organization, dominant identities, social security.
Abstract: (french)
Dans un environnement de travail marqué par la dangerosité et la précarité, l’action syndicale constitue pour les dockers du Port Autonome d’Abidjan un levier central de défense de leurs droits. Cette étude analyse le profil social des syndicalistes dockers et leurs répertoires d’action, en s’appuyant sur une méthodologie combinant observation directe, entretiens individuels et recherche documentaire. Les résultats montrent que les leaders syndicaux sont généralement issus des dockers les plus expérimentés et disposent d’un niveau d’instruction supérieur à la moyenne de leurs pairs. Leur légitimité repose sur l’usage stratégique de ressources narratives et symboliques, tout en mobilisant, dans certaines situations, des formes de violence physique. L’article met en lumière les tensions entre solidarité interne, enjeux de pouvoir et contraintes structurelles, dans un contexte où les mécanismes institutionnels de protection des travailleurs restent limités.
Author Keywords: solidarité, multiplicité, organisation collective, identités dominantes, protection sociale.
How to Cite this Article
Yannick Carl Elvis Gnakabi, Simon Adon Affessi, and Landry Niava Bogui, “Governance and Social Identity of Trade Unionists: Case of Dockworkers at the Autonomous Port Handling Companies (SEMPA) in Abidjan,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 81, no. 1, pp. 12–19, October 2025.
