People

David Coats, Director

David Coats is the founder and director of WorkMatters Consulting.  He is a research fellow at the Smith Institute and an associate at the Centre for Public Service Partnerships@LGIU.

From 2004-2010 he was Associate Director-Policy at The Work Foundation.  From 1999-2004 he was head of the TUC’s Economic and Social Affairs Department managing work on economic and industrial policy, the welfare state, public services and the development of partnership at work, having first joined the TUC in 1989 as an employment law specialist.

He is recognised as an authoritative commentator on employment relations and quality of working life issues.

David has extensive experience of working with clients in both the public and private sectors offering practical advice on employment relations, job quality, public value and public service reform, citizen engagement and the management of change.  His recent clients have included Capital Ambition (London Councils), ACEVO, Bupa, Tesco, Monitor (the regulator of foundation hospitals), the Royal Opera House, the HSE, the Arts Council and the Department of Health. He works outside the UK, most recently for the Department of Labour in New Zealand and for the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD. 

 David was a member of the Low Pay Commission from 2000-2004 and was appointed to the Central Arbitration Committee (the industrial court for Great Britain) in 2005. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Involvement and Participation Association, a number of academic advisory panels and the steering committee of Unions 21. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.