General Overseer of the Calvary Kingdom Church, Okokomaiko, Lagos State, Archbishop Joseph Ojo, on Saturday urged labour leaders and the Federal Government to reach a compromise as regards a new minimum wage.

Mr Ojo made the appeal during an interview in Lagos.

The archbishop described wage negotiation as a social contract that should be approached with empathy by parties.

According to him compromise is needed in the matter to save the country from anxiety.

“They should consider the fact that the unemployed are much more than the few that are in government employment. The federal, states and local governments only employed some workers. Others are in firms owned and operated by individuals that might not be able to pay higher wages. The higher they push it, the higher the inability of the unemployed to survive, because firms, which struggle to pay staff, may not talk of hiring new ones,” he said.

The cleric said that lack of employment might result in an increase in crimes.

“There are private sector employers, who cannot cope with what the federal or states will offer,” he added.

The cleric said that high wage bills might compel private schools to increase school bills to meet up with overhead costs.

“Some parents will not meet up, and their children will be forced to drop out of school,” he said.

He also advised governments to consider subsisting social-economic variables, such as cost of food items, transport and medical bills, and offer a sustainable minimum wage.

“The parties ought to put all these into consideration to achieve progress in their negotiation,” the cleric said.

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress are now demanding N250, 000 as a new minimum wage.

The Federal Government has offered to pay N62,000.

Negotiations are ongoing.

(NAN)