Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)

I move amendment No. 14:

In page 11, line 40, to delete "10 ordinary members (including" and substitute the following:

"8 ordinary members (including a worker director and".

This is an important amendment. The smaller the board the more efficient it is. It has been reduced from 17 to ten, plus the director general. A small board is more efficient and effective in its operation and ensures that decisions are made in a focused way, strategy is embarked upon in a defined way and debates are conducted efficiently. Meetings which last longer than one hour go downhill and lead to repetition. The joint committee which I chair had a long meeting yesterday when two or three important topics were discussed and some very influential people were present. Our meetings generally last between an hour and an hour and a half and are very effective and focused. Members present and receive information, are succinct and deal with their chosen issues. The Government's proposal to reduce the size of the board is a welcome step. I would like to see the number reduced to eight but I do not insist on that. I am happy to accept the figure of ten.

I do insist on the appointment of a worker director. If the Minister does not concede this point, my colleagues and I will call for a vote on this amendment. A worker director plays a pivotal role. In submitting amendment No. 17, Deputy Morgan was more enthusiastic than I. He cites the Worker Participation (State Enterprises) Act 1977, which governs the appointment of worker directors. In the 30 years since that legislation was enacted, worker directors have played a fundamental role on various boards.

I have experience of Bord Na Móna and other boards. Worker directors are elected to boards by a democratic process. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions provides training and advice so that they are acutely aware of their roles as directors. One important principle of worker directorship is that one leaves one's political or trade union allegiance outside the boardroom door. They take cognisance of issues relevant to the workplace but they must always work for the wider good. That principle has been embraced by worker directors and they have a laudable record. Mr. Mark Nugent, a colleague of my own and a member of the Labour Party, was a most objective vice chairman of Bord na Móna. During a very difficult period in the mid-1990s, he assumed the role of chairman and made some very difficult decisions about peat-fired power stations, including that in Bellacurrig in the Minister of State's constituency. Stations were closed and jobs were lost but Mr. Nugent took tough decisions for the greater good and the advancement of Bord na Móna. That displays the importance of worker directors.

A worker director can go back to the staff and workers who have elected him or her and tell them, in an objective way, why certain decisions must be taken. There is a significant gain to be achieved by appointing a worker director. The stories of board decisions are carried to workers by someone who is one of themselves. They can explain, for example, that a wage increase cannot be granted because, perhaps, money is required to satisfy environmental requirements or a pension fund issue must be addressed. There are many governance issues in which worker directors could play a significant, positive and constructive role. In the trade union movement, there are people who are eager and willing to play that role.

I hope the Minister of State does not throw out the baby with the bath-water and abandon something which has been working effectively. I would accept the expansion of the board to 12 members but I believe a worker director could be accommodated in an 11 member board. This would send a good signal to workers and would recognise the 99.9% of workers in FÁS who made a valuable contribution in very difficult circumstances in the 1980s and 1990s. Those same workers are now working extremely hard dealing with the large number of young people who are unemployed. Staff in FÁS regional and district offices do not have a moment to blink, they are so busy with the current demand. The appointment of a worker director would be a vote of confidence in those workers, who have done a very good job over many years. As has been said, 99.9% of the staff of FÁS have behaved impeccably, prudently and with the highest level of dignity and honour in carrying out their duties. We should recognise their contribution and appoint a worker director from within that group.

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