BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati confirmed Monday that representatives from the private sector and labor unions have reached an agreement on increasing the minimum wage.

The deal that was reached, Mikati said, was the one he brokered between the two parties late last year and called for a minimum wage of LL675,000.

"We always support harmony and there is an agreement for both sides of the production sector and we will take care of this issue and Labor Minister [Charbel Nahhas] was involved with us in the matter,” Mikati told reporters at the Grand Serail after he met with both sides.

The delegation, comprised of the head of the General Labor Confederation Ghassan Ghosn, head of the Lebanese Union of Chambers of Commerce Mohammad Shouqair and Nicolas Chammas, head of Beirut traders’ association, had earlier met with Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun.

After the meeting in Rabieh, Aoun’s residence, the FPM leader said a deal was reached and that the issue was then referred to Nahhas, one of Aoun's ministers in Mikati’s government.

"We have looked into various issues related to salaries and the agreement [reached] between the labor union and [private sector] coordinating committee is now in the labor minister's hands," Aoun told reporters after the meeting.

On Jan. 3, the Shura Council, a governmental body that makes non-binding recommendations based on the country’s Constitution, rejected the Cabinet’s third wage hike proposal presented by Nahhas, citing a violation of the country’s social security laws.

It said the Cabinet’s inclusion of the transportation allowances within the basic salary was illegal.

On Dec. 21, the Cabinet approved a wage hike proposal drafted by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas that would raise the minimum wage to LL868,000 – a sum that includes a LL236,000 transportation allowance that the government added to the basic salary.

Mikati’s proposal, which was approved in Cabinet on Dec. 7, was rejected by labor groups, prompting a teachers’ strike on Dec.15 and a GLC planned strike for Dec. 27.

Under Mikati’s bid salaries under LL1 million would have seen an LL200,000 increase. Salaries between LL1 million and LL1.5 million would have seen a LL250,000, and salaries above LL1.5 would have increased by LL300,000.