Former General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Dr David Begg was recently appointed Chairperson of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) by Damien English TD, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Replacing Paul Duffy, who chaired the WRC from 2015, Dr Begg’s appointment for a five-year term (up to 31 January 2026) was made following an open recruitment campaign conducted by the Public Appointments Service (PAS). This is the second appointment to the position of Chairperson since the WRC was set up on 1 October 2015 (replacing the Labour Relations Commission).

Alongside this latest appointment, Dr Begg chairs the Pensions Authority, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and the Fire Service National Oversight Implementation Group of the Department of the Environment. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Maynooth University’s Institute of Social Sciences.

Mr Begg’s extensive history in the trade union movement included heading up the ESB Officers Association, the Communications Workers’ Union and ICTU, holding the latter role from 2001-2015 before he retired. 

Between 1997 and 2001, he stepped away from trade union activities to chair international aid agency Concern. He was also previously a director of the Central Bank of Ireland (1995-2010) and of The Irish Times Trust (2001-2011).