In 1988, the Labour Court recommended new procedures on staffing, consultation and industrial disputes for the Electricity Supply Board and the Electricity Supply Board Officers Association. The recommendation was signed on 13 December 1988, after the strike ended and work resumed on 22 November.
The union sought a right to negotiate staffing numbers and changes. The ESB said management had to determine its organisation and activity levels. The Court said discussion of the Activities Review Report could have avoided the immediate dispute, and asked management to share and discuss it with the union.
The Court also recommended greater union access to business-plan information, clearer distinctions between negotiation and consultation, and that both sides accept two earlier Joint Industrial Council recommendations.