David Begg (trade unionist)

David Begg is an Irish Trade Union Official and current General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions,^[1] a post which he has held since 2001.^[2]

In 2008, Begg was appointed a non-executive director of Aer Lingus^[2][3]

He is also a director of the Central Bank (since 1995), a governor of the Irish Times Trust, Non-Executive Director of Aer Lingus, a member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), and of the Advisory Board of Development Co-operation Ireland.

Prior to joining ICTU, Begg was also a director of the Central Bank (since 1995), a governor of the Irish Times Trust, Non-Executive Director of Aer Lingus, a member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), and of the Advisory Board of Development Co-operation Ireland.^[3]

On 30 May 2014 in response to a 24-hour strike by Aer Lingus cabin crew, Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, the biggest shareholder in Aer Lingus, said he had written to the Aer Lingus chairman to press him to sack Begg from the Aer Lingus board, describing him as a "trade union baron."^[4]

on 13 Jan 2016 Tánaiste Joan Burton in her role as Social Protection Minister appointed David Begg, former General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), as chair of the Pension Authority.^[5] This sparked a motion of no confidence being put forward by Independent Allicance TDs after it emerged Burton appointed former union boss David Begg with no public service advertising or appointments process being followed. The move was allowed under state board guidelines, but opposition TDs attacked the Tánaiste over it.

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