ReWAGE is fortunate in having some of the UK’s foremost thinkers on its Expert Group, drawn from leading universities and research organisations across the UK. Between them they have a huge breadth of knowledge. This week we are turning the spotlight onto ReWAGE expert Edmund Heery who is Emeritus Professor of Employment Relations at Cardiff Business School, and who has written two of ReWAGE's recent papers on Trade Unions and Employer Membership Organisations. Edmund's new book on The Real Living Wage is out soon.

Background:

Edmund is originally from Liverpool and was educated at the universities of Cambridge and Essex and the London School of Economics. He has worked in the field of employment relations for more than 40 years, carrying out research on trade unions, employers' organisations, payment systems and new employment actors, such as the organisations that promote the Living Wage.

Edmund was a member of the Welsh Government's Fair Work Commission, which produced far-reaching proposals for the reform of the Welsh labour market in 2019. He also has been an advisor to the UK’s central trade union organisation, the Trades Union Congress and has provided numerous reports, talks and seminars to UK trade union audiences. Edmund has undertaken research work for Amnesty International UK, Acas and the Living Wage Foundation.

Area of expertise:

Edmund is an expert on work and employment in the UK and has published research on trade unions, employers’ organisations and the role of civil society in promoting fairness at work.

Why Edmund became a ReWAGE expert:

Edmund joined ReWage because he thinks it is a great idea, bringing together researchers from a broad range of academic fields to communicate the practical implications of research evidence to policy makers.

What achievement makes Edmund most proud:

The work of which Edmund is most proud is his current project on the Living Wage. This research has produced evidence of the positive impact of higher wages for employees and for their employers. It has been widely used by campaigners to make the case for a Living Wage and has contributed to many thousands of low-wage workers receiving higher pay.

Recent achievements:

Edmund’s most recent research has examined the UK’s voluntary Living Wage, a labour standard that is promoted by the community network, Citizens UK. A book presenting a detailed analysis of the Living Wage campaign, The Real Living Wage, is about to be published by Oxford University Press. In addition, Edmund completed a survey of more than 7000 accredited Living Wage Employers in 2021-22 (with Deborah Hann and David Nash) and a report presenting the findings from this study is about to be published.

Current projects:

The Cardiff team’s work on the Living Wage as gone through a number of different phases. The latest phase, commencing in July 2023, is a project looking at the attempt to make London a Living Wage City. In addition, Edmund is working on the impact of political devolution on employment relations, examining the policy of the Welsh Government to promote greater ‘social partnership’.

Other interests:

Edmund is a lifelong supporter of Everton Football Club – he is attracted to hopeless causes. He’s also a keen walker and birder and a fan of the New British Jazz.

Recent publications include:

• A review of employer membership organisations in the UK (for ReWAGE)
• Trade Unions in contemporary Britain (for ReWAGE)
• Revisiting voluntarism: Private voluntary regulation by Employer Forums in the United Kingdom
• Political devolution and employment relations in Great Britain: the case of the Living Wage - Heery - 2020 - Industrial Relations Journal - Wiley Online Library
• Outsourcing and the real living wage
• The Real Living Wage - David Nash, Deborah Hann, Edmund Heery - Oxford University Press (oup.com)

[Photo from CIPD Wales Awards 2023 Credit: Tom Martin / Wales News Service]