Sudan Raises Minimum Wages

Sudanese line up to get fuel outside a petrol station in the capital, Khartoum (AFP)
Sudanese line up to get fuel outside a petrol station in the capital, Khartoum (AFP)
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Sudan Raises Minimum Wages

Sudanese line up to get fuel outside a petrol station in the capital, Khartoum (AFP)
Sudanese line up to get fuel outside a petrol station in the capital, Khartoum (AFP)

The Sudanese Ministry of Finance announced raising the minimum wage for civil servants to SDG 3,000 (almost $150) following a three-day strike launched by railway workers.

Railroad workers in Atbara, a northern Sudanese city, and bus drivers throughout the country had carried out a strike since last Saturday to protest low wages.

The strike sapped supplies en route to the capital Khartoum, resulting in a shortage of food supplies and oil byproducts.

On Tuesday, the demonstrators lifted the strike and went back to running national transportation.

Hashem bin Auf, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, confirmed that the Ministry of Finance raised the minimum wage for civil servants to SDG 3,000.

Auf, in a visit to Atbara, informed those on strike of the decision taken by the ministry of finance.

Addressing demonstrators, Auf admitted that the situation they were under was unacceptable, however, he accused the deep state and former regime loyalists of seeking to fail the transitional government.

Also, Bus drivers at Khartoum’s regional bus station carried out a strike on Sunday, calling for better pay and services. The strike caused thousands of travelers to cancel their trip to and from Khartoum.

Others profited from the strike. Tickets to Kassala, New Halfa, and El Gedaref in eastern Sudan rose to SDG 1,800.

The striking bus drivers demand salaries, financial incentives, management committees for union work, health insurance, social security and fuel control at petrol stations. They also decry withdrawals of their driving licenses, fines, and a large number of levies they have to pay on the roads.



Erdogan: Türkiye Not Expecting Negative Trade, Export Situation After Tariffs 

Containers ship Hornise sails across the Bosphorus strait, on its way from China's Jingtang port to Russia's Novorossiysk port, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP)
Containers ship Hornise sails across the Bosphorus strait, on its way from China's Jingtang port to Russia's Novorossiysk port, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP)
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Erdogan: Türkiye Not Expecting Negative Trade, Export Situation After Tariffs 

Containers ship Hornise sails across the Bosphorus strait, on its way from China's Jingtang port to Russia's Novorossiysk port, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP)
Containers ship Hornise sails across the Bosphorus strait, on its way from China's Jingtang port to Russia's Novorossiysk port, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Türkiye is not expecting a negative situation for its trade, production and exports as a result of US President Donald Trump's tariffs, which went into effect on Wednesday.

Türkiye is among the economies that escaped with the lowest "reciprocal" US tariff of 10% and is viewed as being among a handful of countries emerging as potential winners.

In a speech to his ruling AK Party lawmakers, Erdogan said Türkiye’s economic program had made it resilient to external shocks and that it expected stronger economic growth in the medium to long term compared to peer countries.

"There is serious uncertainty in the world, but there is a strong economic program that illuminates Türkiye’s path," Erdogan said. "We think that we will overcome this period more easily than many countries since we are one of the low-tariff countries."

He added that Türkiye’s disinflation process was continuing and that the spending discipline and savings measures which the government initiated last year will continue this year.

Türkiye, whose iron, steel and aluminium exports took a hit from earlier US tariffs, now stands to benefit as other global traders endure even higher levies.