Following Strikes, Nigeria Doubled The Minimum Salary For Government Employees

Nigerian public sector minimum wage earners will enjoy a twofold increase in pay following a deal struck by the government on Thursday with labor unions that had been threatening to call more strikes due to the skyrocketing cost of living.

The new minimum salary is six times less than what the unions were requesting, at 70,000 naira ($44) per month. Following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in the capital city of Abuja, Nigerian Labour Congress President Joe Ajaero stated on Thursday that they accepted the offer with “mixed feelings” in light of the nation’s economic difficulties.

The federal lawmakers still need to enact a new law to ratify the higher pay award, so it won’t go into force right away.

Since taking office in May of last year, Tinubu has implemented policies that have resulted in the depreciation of the naira relative to the US dollar. These policies include eliminating fuel subsidies and consolidating the nation’s various currency rates. Due to the more than twofold increase in gasoline costs, inflation has increased even further, hitting a record high of 34.1% last month—the highest level in almost thirty years.

The government rejected unions’ requests to raise the current minimum wage of 30,000 naira to around 500,000 naira, which sparked a new strike that brought the most populous nation in Africa to a complete stop.