Building and Construction General On-site Award

This award begins with a strict on-site test. If the work or location is wrong, the rest of the award analysis is built on the wrong foundation.

• Check both parts of coverage: the work must be on-site, and it must fit the general building and construction, civil construction or metal and engineering construction definitions in clause 4.3.
• Do not assume that workshop, manufacturing or specialist contracting work belongs here just because it supports a construction project.
• Use Schedule A to identify the correct stream and level once coverage is established.

The hire model is a major compliance decision under this award. It affects notice, overtime triggers and the written records you must have from day one.

• The award recognises daily hire, full-time weekly hire, part-time weekly hire and casual employment.
• A daily hire employee is a tradesperson or labourer, and clause 9.1 applies a one day notice rule on either side unless clause 9.2 applies.
• Before a period of part-time weekly hire starts, the employer and employee must agree in writing on the ordinary hours, the days of the week to be worked, the starting and finishing times and the period of part-time employment.
• When engaging a casual, the employer must tell the employee in writing that they are casual, who employs them, the job to be performed, the classification level and the rate of pay.

RDO administration is central to this award. If the accrual, roster issue date or banking limits are wrong, payroll and rostering problems follow quickly.

• Ordinary hours are 38 per week averaged over a 20 day, 4 week cycle to allow the accrual and taking of rostered days off.
• Ordinary working hours are 8 hours a day, with 0.4 of one hour accruing each day towards an RDO and 7.6 hours paid.
• Employees also accrue 0.4 of one hour towards an RDO for eligible public holidays not worked and for each day of paid leave taken.
• A written roster for RDOs must be fixed and issued 7 days before the start of the cycle, and it must not require an employee to take an RDO on a public holiday.
• By agreement, an accrued RDO may be banked, but the bank cannot exceed 5 at any time.

Construction payroll under this award depends on stream, level and hire type. A flat site rate approach is risky and usually wrong.

• Minimum rates are tied directly to the Schedule A classification structure, including whether the employee is in a CW or ECW stream.
• Leading hand pay sits on top of the base classification and depends on the number of people supervised.
• Daily hire employees have a separate hourly rate calculation under clause 19.3, so weekly hire payroll logic cannot simply be copied across.

Casual payroll in this award is not loading-only payroll. Overtime and weekend work still need separate checking under the award formulas.

• Casual employees receive the 25% casual loading for ordinary hours, but that loading does not replace overtime or weekend penalties.
• Clause 12.5 applies special casual results where the underlying penalty rate is 150% or 200%, so payroll needs specific award logic.
• The overtime and penalty clauses also set minimum engagement protections for some overtime work, including Saturday overtime and recall to work situations.

Written part-time records are the line between ordinary time and overtime under this award. If that paperwork is missing, the risk sits with the employer.

• Part-time weekly hire is a formal arrangement, not ad hoc fill-in work.
• The employer must inform the employee of the ordinary hours and the starting and finishing times, and the agreement must be in writing before the part-time period starts.
• Any variation must be in writing by consent, and the employer must provide the employee with a copy of the original agreement and any variation.

PR799301, PR799458

The current consolidated award incorporates these recent variation determinations. Use the consolidated wording when checking any affected clause, schedule, rate or allowance.

Affected: 19 - Minimum rates, 21 - Expense-related allowances, 22 - Industry allowances, 23 - Other allowances, 25 - Living away from home - distant work, 26 - Travelling time entitlements, 42 - Lift industry, 43 - Forepersons and supervisors, Schedule B - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule D - National Training Wage