The Constitution provides that each citizen has the right to remuneration according to his work and merit. The minimum wage was approximately $100 (50,000 CFA francs) per month in the formal sector. The wage was not sufficient to provide a worker and family with a decent standard of living. High urban prices and dependent extended families obliged many workers, including teachers and health workers, to seek secondary employment beyond their principal employment, mainly in the informal sector.

The Labor Code stipulates that overtime must be paid for all work in excess of 40 hours per week and that regular days of leisure must be granted by employers.

Although health and safety regulations require twice yearly visits by inspectors from the Ministry of Labor, in practice such visits occurred less regularly. Unions generally were vigilant in calling attention to dangerous working conditions; however, the observance of safety standards often was lax. Workers have no specific right to remove themselves from dangerous working conditions without risking loss of employment.

Legal foreign workers were protected by the same law that protected citizen workers; illegal workers were not protected by the law and faced deportation.