Amid a sharp rise in the price of fuel products, the official wage board in the capital, Manila, has decided to implement this year's increase in the minimum wage around two months early, on May 26th. The daily minimum wage is set to rise by P22 (51 US cents) from P367 currently for agricultural workers and to P404 for non-agricultural workers, representing an increase of 5-6%. This is a little above the rate of inflation (consumer prices rose by 4.5% year on year in April), but it is still below the central bank's assumption of a rise of P25. It represents a compromise between the P13.25 increase proposed by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines and the P75 rise sought by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines. The award by the capital's wage board, which comprises representatives from the government, employers and trade unions, typically sets a benchmark for increases in other regions' minimum wages, which are expected to be announced in the coming months. In a country with a surplus of labour, trade unions typically fail to achieve their wage demands.