In the late 1960s and 70s Derek Robinson, who has died aged 82, established a reputation as one of the most influential labour market economists of his generation. A senior research officer at the Oxford Institute of Economics and Statistics from 1961, Robinson became a senior economic adviser to the National Board for Prices and Incomes, and then to Barbara Castle, the employment secretary, during the tumultuous period around the introduction of the 1969 white paper In Place of Strife.
The disruptive nature of industrial relations and pay bargaining in that era engaged all governments in confrontations with trade union leaders. In 1973 the miners began an overtime ban in support of a significant increase in pay; oil ran short following a production cut by Arab state producers; and Edward Heath's government introduced severe restrictions on energy use and a three-day maximum on the working week. In the midst of this chaotic process, the government established a pay board and invited Robinson to be its deputy chairman. The appointment had the prime minister's strong approval as one Guardian headline about "Mr Heath's Robinson" indicated.
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