Section 19: Extension of agreements

(1) A Council may apply to the Minister to have the terms of any such agreement as is mentioned in section 18 (3) of this Act extended to cover other employers and workers within the industry to which the agreement relates.
(2) The Minister, upon receipt of an application under subsection (1) of this section, shall satisfy himself that the organisations of employers and workers concerned represent a sufficient proportion of the employers and workers in the industry in question, having regard to its individual circumstances, and on being so satisfied shall publish a notice in the Federal Gazette-
(a) specifying the terms of the agreement and indicating his intention to make an order extending all or any of the terms of the agreement to such employers and workers engaged in the industry (which shall be specified in the order) as are not parties to the agreement; and
(b) specifying the time, being not more than forty days from the date of publication, within which any objection to his intention shall be made to him.
(3) Every objection made pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, shall be in writing and shall state-
(a) the specific grounds of the objection; and
(b) the omissions, additions and modifications asked for, and the Minister shall consider any objection made by or on behalf of any person appearing to him to be affected, being an objection sent to him within the time specified in the notice specifying the terms of the agreement, but shall not be bound to consider any other objection.
(4) After considering all the objections which under subsection (3) of this section he is required to consider, the Minister may-
(a) make the order without amendments; or
(b) make the order with such amendments as he considers necessary or expedient; or
(c) refrain from making the order.
(5) Where the Minister makes an order under subsection (4) of this section, he shall publish it in the Federal Gazette, and the order shall come into operation on the date on which it is so published or on such later date as may be specified therein.
(6) Wages or conditions of employment fixed by an order made under this section shall have effect as if they were statutory minimum wages or, as the case may be, statutory minimum conditions fixed under section 10 of this Act.