General Overview of the Act Part 1 .The Social Partnership Council Section 6 - Duration of appointments
25.This section provides that employer or worker representatives are appointed for three years unless either the First Minister terminates their appointment or they resign by notifying the First Minister.
26.The legislation does not prevent the First Minister re-appointing an individual to the SPC or representatives serving consecutive terms.
27.The section also requires that the First Minister must fill any representative vacancy as soon as reasonably practicable. This provision will minimise disruption to the work of the SPC and ensure that, as far as possible, numerical parity is maintained between employer and worker representatives.