Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award

Coverage depends on genuine manufacturing work, not simply being in the food supply chain. Mixed operations need careful role by role analysis.

• Start by checking whether the business is actually a manufacturing operation covered by the award definition.
• Do not assume coverage just because the product is food or drink. The award expressly steps aside for several other industry awards.
• Where a business has mixed functions, match the employee to the work and environment that best fit.

This award has distinct systems for day work and shiftwork. Payroll and rosters should never assume one ordinary hours model fits the whole plant.

• Day workers ordinarily average 38 hours a week and are capped at 152 hours in 28 days.
• Day work is normally worked between 6.00 am and 6.00 pm, with the spread able to move by up to one hour by agreement.
• Continuous shiftworkers have a separate 24 hour style regime and ordinary hours average 38 a week inclusive of meal breaks.

Weekend production and early plant set-up are common trouble spots. The award has specific answers for both, and they are not the same as ordinary Monday to Friday day work.

• Day work can include Saturday and Sunday only by agreement under the award.
• Weekend ordinary hours are still treated differently for pay purposes under the day worker clause.
• Any work outside the spread of day work ordinary hours is treated as overtime, subject to the specific exception for work continuous with ordinary hours to ready the plant.

Classification under this award is skills based and training linked. That makes induction records, qualifications and competency evidence important payroll documents.

• The classification structure moves from short service entry level work through induction and recognised experience to AQF Certificate based levels.
• Level progression is tied to actual competency, not just time served.
• Higher levels expect broader judgment, quality control, training support and technical capability.

This award has payroll complexity beyond the base rate because some recurring allowances change the rate used for other calculations.

• The extracted all-purpose allowances are the leading hand, heavy vehicle driving and boiler attendants allowances.
• The same allowance clause also deals with first aid and special allowances.
• Where an allowance is all-purpose, it needs to be included before penalties or loadings are calculated.

Hosted workers and trainees are not an afterthought in this award. They have their own pathways and can carry different wage rules.

• Labour hire employees, apprentices and trainees can be covered when they are doing manufacturing classification work in the host operation.
• Apprentice, adult apprentice and trainee wage provisions sit alongside the main classification rules.
• Do not push these workers into a generic production bucket without checking the specific clause that applies.

PR799280, PR799353, PR799509

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

Affected: 14 - Minimum rates and classifications, 15 - Apprentice minimum rates, 20 - Allowances, Schedule B - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule C - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule E - National Training Wage, Schedule F - Supported Wage System