The Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation says the Fiji Trades Union Congress campaign for an $8-an-hour national living wage must be based on evidence and proper wage-setting processes, rather than the number of signatures collected.
FCEF CEO Edward Bernard says while the federation respects FTUC’s democratic right to target 100,000 signatures for its petition, a petition cannot replace a credible wage-setting system.
Bernard's comments come following FTUC's $8-an-hour national living wage, which began last week.
Bernard says the issue is not whether workers deserve decent wages, but whether an $8-an-hour rate can be justified through evidence, economic analysis, transparent methodology and genuine tripartite dialogue.
He says a petition can show how many people support an $8 wage, but cannot determine whether Fiji is ready for a living wage or whether $8 is the appropriate benchmark.
Bernard says the International Labour Organisation has set out principles for establishing a living wage, including the use of robust evidence, consultation with workers and employers, transparency and technical validation.
He says the process should also reflect local and regional economic realities before a living wage is introduced through established wage-setting mechanisms.
Bernard says FTUC's proposal of $8 an hour national living wage represents an increase of about 60 percent and notes that the ILO's operationalisation principles refer to incremental progression from minimum wages towards living wages.
