Tunisia’s government and the country’s powerful UGTT union signed a deal boosting public sector salaries on Thursday, three months aftera strike that paralysed the country. The deal involves a five percent annual hike to public sector wages every year until 2025. The head of the UGTT, Noureddine Taboubi, told reporters after the deal was signed that the first hike would take effect next month. “The agreement was reached after much hard work,” Taboubi said. The cash-strapped government was initially unfavourable to hikes of this scale. Tunisia has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and g…