Three new commissioners appointed to the Low Pay Commission.
Three new commissioners have been appointed to the Low Pay Commission, Business Minister Jenny Willott announced yesterday (18 June 2014). Neil Carberry, Brian Strutton and Richard Dickens take up their new roles yesterday. They replace Susan Anderson, Heather Wakefield and Professor Stephen Machin who are standing down. The appointments are for 3 years, with the option of reappointment, and require a commitment of, on average, 16 days per year. Remuneration is on the basis of a daily rate of £242.12.
Business Minister Jenny Willott said: "The National Minimum Wage has been a huge success since it was introduced, making millions of workers better off. The independent Low Pay Commission gives the government the expert and impartial advice that is essential to this on-going success."
About Brian Strutton – Employee member
Brian Strutton is the GMB union’s National Secretary for public services, joint secretary of the National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services, member of the board of the Local Government Pension Scheme and chair of its Cost Management Committee. Prior to this, he was a senior trade union negotiator in major private sector industries and he has wide practical experience of dealing with low pay.
About Neil Carberry – Employer member
Neil Carberry is the Director for Employment and Skills at the CBI, a role he has held since February 2011. Neil has worked at the CBI for the past decade on a wide range of business issues, including pay, pensions, agency work, work permits and skills. He is a member of the CBI’s Management Board. Before joining the CBI, Neil worked in consultancy on HR issues. He has anMSc in Industrial Relations from the London School of Economics and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD. He is the Chair of BusinessEurope’s Employment Working Group.
About Richard Dickens – Independent member
Richard Dickens is Professor of Economics and Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Sussex. He is a leading academic on labour markets and the minimum wage and his research is influential in both policy and academic debates. Aside from his positions at Sussex, he has held visiting academic positions at Melbourne, Australian National University and the National Bureau for Economic Research in Boston, USA.
About the Low Pay Commission (LPC)
The Low Pay Commission (LPC) is a Non Departmental Public Body responsible for providing advice on the National Minimum Wage (NMW). The Commission reports to the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State, and consists of a Chair and eight other members. Three of the Commissioners have an employee/trade union background, 3 have an employer background and 3 are independent/academic labour relations specialists.
The LPC monitors, evaluates and reviews the impact of the NMW, with particular reference to the effect on pay, employment and competitiveness in low paying sectors and small firms; the effect on different groups of workers; the effect on pay structures, and the interaction between the NMWand the tax and benefit systems. The commission reviews the level of theNMW adult rate, the youth rates, and the apprentice rate and makes recommendations, if appropriate, for change.
