Kieran McGovern steps down as ESB Industrial Council Chairman

Kieran McGovern, the Chairman of the ESB Industrial Council, stepped down from that position at the end of July, after nearly two decades at the heart of industrial relations at ESB.

Appointed in 1988 as Chairman of the Council, which was established jointly by ESB and the Group of Unions as an internal dispute-resolution body, he has been unanimously reappointed to that post for five consecutive terms. He spoke with EM on the eve of his departure.

As you prepare to leave the Chair of the Industrial Council, how would you characterise your experience as you look back over your tenure?
Well, I've been 18 years here as Chairman of the Council, and nearly 35 years altogether in industrial relations. I've met every shade and description of individual, high and low in the company, and I have to say that every single one of them contributed tremendously to the interaction that has made the ESB a different place today than it was 18 years ago.

What were some of the major challenges you faced in the beginning?
In industrial relations mediation, you inevitably get into comparisons with other companies, whether it be with the private sector, semi-State sector or the public sector, and when I came to ESB I heard expressions of concern about best international practice right across the organisation.

I agree that everybody needs to improve, and particularly with the introduction of new technology and new legislation, things change. So, what I wanted to know was, what is the best international practice that ESB should be benchmarking itself against?

I set about finding out what other electricity utilities right around the world do, and how their staff interact with management. Having looked at all that, I can say unequivocally that ESB was being unfair to itself in seeking best international practice when, in fact, best international practice already existed in ESB in many areas.

I could tell you so many anecdotes from visits that I've had here in Ireland from foreign mediators, or those that I visited abroad, who said to me that they would give their right arm for a system of industrial relations like ours in their companies.

They were tied up in books of rules and legislation, and none of them had the facility to sit down with an internal mediation process and come to a reasonable accommodation. I have found over the years that staff in ESB and the management have always come to a reasonable and a fair accommodation.

So the experience has been a positive one overall?
The level of co-operation over the years was second to none, I have to say. I came to ESB from the Department of Labour and the Labour Court, from being a conciliation officer for 12 very happy years in Dublin and Limerick and Mid-West region.

I don't know what personal attributes I bring to bear other than frankness and fairness, the two F's that I constantly rule my life and work by. If somebody asked me a question in ESB, they got a straight answer. Sometimes they didn't get the answer they wanted, but they got a straight answer.

Do you feel you're leaving a legacy for your successor?
I would say that the one thing that I have left with ESB, management and unions is a realisation that they can do business together, that they can enter agreements and that both sides have the confidence and trust to stand over them. It's now a different ESB, a different country, a different electricity industry, and a different culture embracing partnership.

There's an expression in industrial relations mediation that you should always have one foot in the stirrup, ready to ride away. And I've always lived by that. At the end of the day, be able to say, "We did a good day's work" and a good agreement has emerged. That's all I've ever wanted - emphasis on the "we."

Looking back, what gives you the greatest satisfaction?
I'm very pleased to see partnership playing such a large role in ESB. But I don't want people to believe partnership is the be-all and end-all. What I would hope is that if there is a falling out, the partnership process will continue but the industrial relations processes of conciliation and mediation will patch it up and repair it as it has always done and as I think it always will do.

Any final thoughts to share with staff going forward?
Believe in yourselves. It is my conviction that ESB is second to none in the service it provides. And as for competition, ESB as a State-owned company can and will show the competitors just what competition is all about. I'm convinced of that.

On a personal note, I'd like to pay tribute to all I have dealt with over the years, the staff and Members of the Council, and to Eileen Walsh in particular, for their commitment, help and cooperation over the years. Their contribution and personal help to me has been and is the hallmark of a great company. Long may it be so.

And finally - if the employees of ESB, individually, really want to do one thing as a gesture after a good innings all around, then would those who have not yet signed up to ElectricAid do so without further delay. That is my final final thought.

"Kieran McGovern came to the position as Chairman of ESB's Industrial Council in 1988 with a wealth of experience. He has been unanimously reappointed as Chairman of the Council five times since that appointment. Kieran has played an important role in industrial relations, and his fairness and impartiality has been invaluable in mediation processes over the past 18 years. He leaves an excellent legacy to the institution. I wish Kieran and his family well for the coming years and I would like to publicly acknowledge and thank him for the consistent and professional manner in which he carried out his role."
John Campion,
Executive Director HR & Corporate Affairs

The ESB Joint Industrial Council is an institution in itself and carries out the functions for Unions and ESB equivalent to those provided by the LRC and Labour Court for other industries. Kieran has held the position of Chairman for the last 18 years, leaving some people believing he WAS the Council. In reality Kieran , to his credit and to our benefit , has acted as Custodian and Protector of the Council and its agreed Constitution on behalf of the Unions and ESB on many occasions.
While the majority of cases that come before the Council are of a company-wide or category nature, there are a number of individual cases presented which are of equal importance to the individual as any major case. This can be a major and daunting exercise for the individual involved. Not withstanding its formalities, individuals leave feeling that their case was heard and they were given the facility to make their points. Kieran McGovern, as Chairman, has proved to be a good guardian of the Constitution and has served the Unions, individual staff and ESB well over his 18 years."
Dave Naughton, TEEU, speaking on behalf of the ESB Unions at a function to mark the retirement of Kieran McGovern.