REGULATION
No. 1030 of 13 November 2017
on the certification of equal pay systems
of companies and institutions according to the ÍST 85 Standard.
Article 1Scope.
This regulation applies to the certification of equal pay systems of companies and institutions
according to the Standard ÍST 85 Equal pay management systems – Requirements and guidance.
Article 2Aim.
The aim of this regulation is that the equal pay management systems of companies andinstitutions should be certified in accordance with the requirements of the Standard ÍST 85, and withinternational requirements applying to certification and certification bodies enumerated in the standard
ÍST EN ISO 17021-1:2015 Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies providing audit andcertification of management systems - Part 1: Requirements.
Article 3
Definitions.
In this regulation, the following terms are used as defined below:
a. Certification: A written statement from the certifying body which is provided with acertification certificate, following the certifying body’s audit of a company’s or institution’s equal pay
system, in which it is stated that the equal pay system and its implementation meet the requirements ofthe ÍST 85 standard.(cf. item c of Article 1 of that standard).
b. Certification body: A party that undertakes certification and has received accreditation (cf.
Articles 4 and 5).
c. Auditor: An individual qualified to carry out an audit.
d. Accreditation: Confirmation that a certification body meets the requirements of the ÍST EN
ISO 17021-1:2015 standard and the requirements of this regulation in order to carry out certification of
the equal pay management systems of companies and institutions according to the Equal Pay Standard
ÍST 85.
Article 4Accreditation of certification bodies.
Certification bodies shall acquire accreditation from the Accreditation Division of the Icelandic
Patent Office (Einkaleyfastofa) or a comparable entity in the European Economic Area.
Article 5
Certification under the standard ÍST 85.
Certification bodies which carry out certification under this regulation shall have acquired accreditation
under Article 4. In demonstration of this, certification bodies shall be able to produce an accreditation
certificate confirming that they meet the requirements of the ÍST EN ISO 17021-1:2015 standard andare considered competent to certify the equal pay systems of companies and institutions according tothe Standard ÍST 85, and the requirements of this regulation.

Without prejudice to the first paragraph of this Article, certification bodies that have acquiredaccreditation according to the requirements of the ÍST EN ISO 17021-1:2015 standard may carry out
audits and certify the equal pay systems of companies and institutions in accordance with the Standard
ÍST 85, until 31 December 2019. The Ministry of Welfare shall confer with certification bodies, asnecessary, on certification including the conduct of audits and the introduction of working procedures
until 31 December 2019.
Certification bodies which have provided companies or institutions with advice on theintroduction of the Standard ÍST 85 may not carry out auditing or adopt a position on the certificationof the companies or institutions in question during the ensuing two years. The same shall apply to those
who have worked for the certification bodies that provided the companies or institutions in question
with advice according to the first sentence of this paragraph.
Article 6Courses on equal pay certification.
The Ministry of Welfare shall ensure that courses are held for auditors in the field of genderequality and labour market issues that are of significance for certification in accordance with therequirements of the Standard ÍST 85.
Courses shall be held every three years, and more frequently if the need arises. Amongst otherthings, courses shall cover the requirements made regarding equal pay management systems inaccordance with the Standard ÍST 85, including job classification and evaluation, wage analysis andspecial criteria for certification bodies set by the Minister on audit and certification of the Standard ÍST85. The courses shall also cover labour legislations, the Gender Equality Act and collective agreements.
Courses shall end with an examination and the issue of certificates. Auditors shall pass the examination
with not less than first class marks.
Article 7
Audits, certification, use of the equal pay symbol and monitoring.
Certification bodies shall direct and carry out audits of equal pay management systems ofcompanies or institutions. When a certification body has completed examination establishing that theequal pay management system of a company or institution meets the requirements of the Standard ÍST85, the certification body shall take a decision on certification and issue a certificate in confirmation
thereof.
The certification body shall send the Centre for Gender Equality a copy of the certificate,
together with a report on the outcome of the audit.
The company or institution shall ensure that its certification is renewed every three years.
The Centre for Gender Equality shall confer the equal pay symbol on the company or institution
on the basis of the certificate issued by the certification body under the first paragraph of this Article,
and it shall be valid for the same period as the certificate. Use of the equal pay symbol shall be subject
to rules set by the Minister, which are published in the protocol to this regulation.
The certification body shall furthermore inform the Centre for Gender Equality if the audit does
not result in certification and state the reasons for this by submitting a report on the outcome of the audit.
The Centre for Gender Equality may grant the organisations of the social partners access to certification
bodies’ reports in cases where audits of the equal pay systems of companies or institutions have notresulted in certification.
The Centre for Gender Equality shall maintain a register of companies and institutions that haveacquired certification and publish it in an accessible manner on its website. Amongst other things, theinformation published in the register shall include the name of the company or institution, its ID number,its address and the period for which certification is to remain valid. Furthermore, the Centre for GenderEquality shall maintain a register of companies and institutions with an average of 25 or more
employees, on an annual basis, which have not acquired certification. That register shall state whether
the company or institution in question has applied for an audit by a certification body of its equal pay
system and how it is applied with a view to acquiring certification. The organisations of the socialpartners shall have access to this register.
The organisations of the social partners shall attend to monitoring to establish whether
companies and institutions acquire certification and renewal of their certification in such a way as tocomply with the provisions of the Gender Equality Act, No. 10/2008, with subsequent amendments, andthe requirements of this regulation. Companies and institutions shall provide the organisations of thesocial partners with the information and materials which the organisations consider necessary in orderto carry out their monitoring. Where a company or institution has not acquired certification, or renewalof its certification, or fails to submit the necessary information or materials, the organisations of thesocial partners may report this to the Centre for Gender Equality. The Centre for Gender Equality may
instruct the company or institution in question to take satisfactory measures to rectify the situation withina suitable period, failing which it shall be subject to per diem fines. A decision on per diem fines shallbe announced to the party to which it is directed, in writing and in a demonstrable manner. Per diemfines according to this regulation shall be subject to the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth paragraph ofArticle 18 of the Gender Equality Act.
If an audit conducted by a certification body reveals that the equal pay management system of
a company or institution, and the way it is applied, no longer meets the requirements of the ÍST 85
standard, the certification body shall report this to the Centre for Gender Equality. The Centre for Gender
Equality shall examine matters involving the use of the equal pay symbol in such cases (cf. the rules on
the use of the equal pay symbol set by the Minister) and shall, in doing so, follow the rules of the
Administrative Procedure Act, including those regarding parties’ right to be heard.
Article 8
Basis in law, commencement and repeal of older regulations.
This regulation, which is issued under the eleventh paragraph of Article 19 and Article 33 of theGender Equality Act, No. 10/2008, with subsequent amendments, and also under the first paragraph ofArticle 4 of the Accreditation (Etc.) Act, No. 24/2006, following consultation with the Ministry ofIndustry and Innovation, shall take effect on 1 January 2008. On the same date, Regulation No.
365/2017, on the certification of the equal pay systems of companies and institutions according to theÍST 85 standard, shall stand repealed.
Ministry of Welfare, 13 November 2017.
Þorsteinn Víglundsson
Minister of Social Affairs and Equality.
_____________________
Ellý Alda Þorsteinsdóttir.

Protocol.
RULES
on the use of the equal pay symbol.
Article 1
Aim.
The aim of these rules is to ensure consistency in the use of the equal pay symbol and prevent
its misuse.
The symbol is intended as a quality stamp and part of the image and reputation of companies
and institutions. It is a confirmation that they have established procedures which ensure that theirhandling of, and decisions on, pay issues do not include gender-based discrimination.
Article 2
The equal pay symbol.
The equal pay symbol is a registered trade mark that is owned by the Ministry of Welfare. Thesymbol consists of an image that suggests a pie-chart, a stamp, runes and the smiling faces of two
dissimilar individuals. The shape of the symbol suggests a coin, so indicating that the individuals
portrayed are both assessed at their true worth.
Regarding colour and presentation, reference is made to the guidelines in the equal pay symbolstyle manual.
Article 3Instructions on the use of the equal pay symbol.
The equal pay symbol shall be used in accordance with rules and instructions, approved by theMinister of Social Affairs and Equality, set out in the equal pay symbol manual. The symbol shall be
used and displayed in such a way as not to bring it into disrespect.
The Centre for Gender Equality shall grant companies or institutions authorisation to use theequal pay symbol on the basis of certificates issued by certification bodies in accordance with theRegulation on the certification of the equal pay systems of companies and institutions according to theStandard ÍST 85.
Only those companies or institutions that have acquired certification, or renewal of certification,of their equal pay systems in accordance with the Standard ÍST 85 from certification bodies that havereceived accreditation under the Regulation on the certification of the equal pay systems of companies
and institutions according to the Standard ÍST 85 may use the symbol and they shall be obliged to obey
the rules applying to its treatment and use.
Companies and institutions may only use the equal pay symbol while the relevant certification
is valid.
If companies or institutions use the equal pay symbol despite their not meeting the requirements
which they are obliged to meet under the Gender Equality Act, No. 10/2008, with subsequent
amendments, and the Regulation on the certification of the equal pay systems of companies andinstitutions according to the Standard ÍST 85, this will be regarded as misuse of the equal pay symbol.
The same shall apply if a company or institution does not use the symbol in accordance with these rules
or the instructions in the equal pay symbol style manual.

Article 4
Application and registration.

Applications for authorisation to use the equal pay symbol shall be made to the Centre for
Gender Equality. The applicant (a company or institution) shall submit a copy of its certificate inaccordance with the Regulation on the certification of the equal pay systems of companies andinstitutions according to the Standard ÍST 85 confirming that it meets the requirements of the standard
and the Centre for Gender Equality shall then grant it authorisation to use the symbol.
Use of the symbol may not commence before authorisation has been issued by the Centre for
Gender Equality, and the authorisation shall remain valid for the same length of time as the certificate(cf. the Regulation on the certification of the equal pay systems of companies and institutions according
to the Standard ÍST 85).
The Centre for Gender Equality shall maintain a register of companies and institutions that haveacquired certification; this register shall be published in an accessible manner on the centre’s website.
Article 5
Discontinuation of the use of the symbol.
If an entity that has used the equal pay symbol decides to stop using it, it shall inform the Centrefor Gender Equality thereof. Following such a notification, the Centre for Gender Equality shall remove
the entity in question from the register of users of the symbol.
Article 6
Responsibility and monitoring of use.
Registered users themselves shall be responsible for using the symbol correctly. If an audit bya certification body during the procedure for renewal of certification reveals that the equal pay systemof a company or institution no longer meets the requirements of the Standard ÍST 85, the certificationbody shall inform the Centre for Gender Equality thereof. The Centre for Gender Equality shall examine
cases involving the use of the equal pay symbol in such instances and shall follow the rules of the
Administrative Procedure Act, including as regards parties’ right to be heard. The same shall apply if
the use of the symbol does not conform to the provisions of these rules or the instructions set out in theequal pay symbol style book and the party concerned fails to act on instructions from the Centre for
Gender Equality or the Ministry of Welfare regarding measures to rectify the situation.
Article 7Commencement.
These rules shall take effect on 1 January 2018.
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Section B – Publication date: 28 November 2017

[This translation is published for information only.
The original Icelandic text is published in the Law Gazette.
In case of a possible discrepancy, the original Icelandic text applies].