Cement, Lime and Quarrying Award

The first decision under this award is the industry stream. Classification, hours and some allowances all follow from that choice.

• Start by deciding whether the operation falls in the cement and lime industry or the quarrying industry.
• The cement and lime definition focuses on manufacture, handling and distribution of listed materials in production establishments and bulk silo operations.
• The quarrying definition covers both quarry operations and some recycling-style crushing, screening and blending operations outside a quarry.
• Once coverage is settled, classify the employee under Schedule A for cement and lime or Schedule B for quarrying, according to the skill level required for the principal functions of the job.

Mixed labour models are common in plants and quarries, but the award expects each model to be set up and recorded differently.

• At the start of employment, the employer must tell the employee whether they are full-time, part-time or casual.
• A part-time employee must have a written regular pattern of work showing the hours to be worked each day, the days of the week and the actual starting and finishing times.
• Part-time changes can only be made by a written agreement before the change occurs, and the employer must keep the record and give a copy to the employee.
• Casual employees receive a 25% loading, must be paid a minimum of 3 hours each day they are employed, and move to permanent employment through the NES pathway in clause 11.4.

Hours of work are one of the most stream-specific parts of this award. Rostering without the correct stream and any required majority agreement is high risk.

• Ordinary hours average 38 per week as directed by the employer.
• For employees other than shiftworkers, ordinary hours are worked Monday to Friday within the relevant spread of hours, unless another spread is agreed with the majority of employees in the section concerned.
• The ordinary spread is 6.00 am to 6.00 pm in the cement and lime industry and 6.30 am to 6.00 pm in the quarrying industry.
• Ordinary hours must not exceed 10 in a day unless the employer and the majority of employees in the relevant section agree.

A single pay table is not enough under this award. Stream choice, written classification and higher duties all affect the correct result.

• Minimum rates are split between the cement and lime stream and the quarrying stream, so payroll settings must also be split.
• Clause 16.3 changes pay quickly when higher duties are performed: more than 2 total hours at the higher level means the higher rate for the whole day, while 2 hours or less only attracts the higher rate for the time worked.
• Clause 12.2 also requires the employer to advise employees in writing of their classification and any later change to it.

Allowances in this award are not minor extras. Some are all-purpose allowances, so they change more than the base line on the payslip.

• The award requires employers to pay the allowances employees are entitled to under clause 18.
• The note to clause 18 points out that pay records and payslips must separately identify any allowance paid.
• The industry disability allowance, leading hand allowance and first aid allowance are all-purpose allowances under clause 18.2(a), so they flow into penalties, loadings and annual leave payments where the employee is entitled to them.

After-hours contact now sits alongside ordinary roster and shift management. Small operators should not ignore it just because the workplace is operationally busy.

• The award now includes a right to disconnect clause that operates through the Fair Work Act framework.
• Clause 13A applied from 26 August 2024 for employers that were not small business employers on that date, and from 26 August 2025 for employers that were small business employers on 26 August 2024.
• Supervisors and managers should check any routine out-of-hours contact practices against that framework.

PR799280, PR799335, PR799491

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

Affected: 16 - Minimum rates, 18 - Allowances, Schedule C - Cement and Lime Industry - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule D - Quarrying Industry - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule E - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule F - Supported Wage System