LBS's Bain to chair pay commission

LONDON Business School principal George Bain has added another string to his bow in the shape of the chairmanship of the independent low pay commission.

Professor Bain, who has much experience of trade unions and industrial relations, will take up the part-time unpaid post while still principal of LBS. It is thought that he will devote two days a week to commission work in addition to his other interests, including directorships.

Professor Bain has already said that he wishes to stand down as LBS principal by July next year. The search is on for a replacement and the school hopes to be able to announce his successor by the end of this year.

The primary role of the new commission will be to make recommendations to the Government on the level at which the national minimum wage should be set. The Government thought an independent commission necessary to ensure a balance between wage protection for workers and economic competitiveness.

The commission's recommendation could have a direct impact on the livelihoods of thousands of manual and ancillary workers in further and higher education who earn less than most officially recognised pay thresholds.

Professor Bain was a consultant to the Donovan Commission on union reform in the 1960s and a member of the Bullock Committee on industrial democracy in the 1970s. He is also a former director of Warwick University's industrial relations unit.