Nigeria more than doubles the minimum wage for government workers after strikes and negotiations

Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Public sector workers in Nigeria on the minimum wage will see their salaries double after the government reached an agreement on Thursday with labor unions that have been threatening further strikes as the cost of living spirals. The unions were threatening further strikes because of a cost-of-living crisis that is partly a result of the government’s economic policies, such as an end to fuel subsidies and an effective devaluation of the currency against the dollar. The new minimum monthly wage of 70,000 naira ($44) is six times lower than what the labor unions had requested. Despite being one of the top crude producers in Africa, Nigeria remains one of the world’s poorest countries.