Speaker Nabih Berri will likely propose a solution to the wage dispute between business leaders and the General Labor Confederation if both parties weren’t able to reach an agreement by Tuesday.

Speaker Nabih Berri will likely propose a solution to the wage dispute between business leaders and the General Labor Confederation if both parties weren’t able to reach an agreement by Tuesday, his visitors said.

Premier Najib Miqati held talks with Berri on Saturday in what was seen as a last-ditch effort and a race against time to solve the wage crisis ahead of Wednesday’s strike planned by the GLC.

Labor unions are demanding to boost the minimum wage to LL1,250,000 and have criticized the draft state budget that called for an increase in Value Added Tax from 10 to 12 percent. But the 2012 budget is yet to be approved by the cabinet and parliament.

Berri might propose a middle ground solution to the wage dispute, his visitors told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.

The speaker has also said that labor unions should wait for the discussions inside the cabinet and parliament on the budget because the deliberations could lead to different results.