Equal Pay Act (Northern Ireland) 1970

5 Agricultural wages orders. N.I.

(1) Where an agricultural wages order made before or after the commencement of this Act contains any provision applying specifically to men only or to women only, the order may be referred by the Department to the Industrial Court to declare what amendments need to be made in the order, in accordance with the like rules as apply under section 3(4) to the amendment under that section of a collective agreement, so as to remove that discrimination between men and women; and when the Court have declared the amendments needing to be so made, it shall be the duty of the Agricultural Wages Board, by a further agricultural wages order coming into operation not later than five months after the date of the Court's decision, either to make those amendments in the order referred to the Court or otherwise to replace or amend that order so as to remove the discrimination.

(2) Where the Agricultural Wages Board certify that the effect of an agricultural wages order is only to make such amendments of a previous order as have under this section been declared by the Industrial Court to be needed, or to make such amendments as aforesaid with minor modifications or modifications of limited application, or is only to revoke and reproduce with such amendments a previous order, then the Board may instead of complying with section 2(8) and (9) of the Agricultural Wages Act serve notice of the proposed order in such manner as appears to the Board expedient in the circumstances, and may make the order at any time after the expiration of seven days from the service of the notice.

(3) An agricultural wages order shall be referred to the Industrial Court under this section if the Department is requested so to refer it either—

(a) by a body for the time being entitled to appoint to the Agricultural Wages Board persons representing employers; or

(b) by a body for the time being entitled to appoint to the Board persons representing workers;

or if in any case it appears to the Department that the order may be amendable under this section.

(4) In this section “the Agricultural Wages Board” means the Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland, “the Agricultural Wages Act” means the Agricultural Wages (Regulation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1939 [1939 c.25] and “agricultural wages order” means an order of the Agricultural Wages Board under the Agricultural Wages Act.