Racing Industry Ground Maintenance Award

This award is highly role specific. The first question is whether the work is maintenance of the venue at all, because that drives both coverage and classification.

• Confirm the employee is engaged in maintenance of a racing venue rather than event staging work.
• Use the maintenance definition in clause 4.2, which covers grounds, enclosures, gardens, lawns and trees used in conducting the racing industry.
• Match the employee to a Schedule A classification such as introductory level, maintenance and horticulture levels, tradesperson, Trackwork and Pool Supervisor or management level.
• If more than one award might apply, use the classification that is most appropriate to the work and the environment.

The award treats ordinary maintenance work, part-time work and casual night cleaning as different payroll settings. Contracts, rosters and payroll codes need to reflect that.

• At the time of engagement, the employer must tell the employee in writing whether they are full-time, part-time or casual.
• Part-time employees must have a written regular pattern of hours and start and finish times, and each shift must be at least 3 consecutive hours.
• Casual employees receive a 25% loading and have a minimum 3 hour engagement.
• Casual night cleaning duties must be coded separately because they attract an additional 30% shift allowance and do not use the ordinary hours, overtime or penalty rules.

Racecourse maintenance often has early starts and event-linked timing, but only within the specific spans and notice rules the award allows.

• Ordinary hours are up to 38 per week or an average of up to 38 over 4 weeks.
• The usual spread is between 6.30 am and 6.30 pm.
• Ordinary hours are rostered on a maximum of 5 days per week, with a maximum of 10 hours per day and 2 consecutive days off per week.
• Track crossing attendants and employees opening the racecourse for early morning trackwork or related duties can work ordinary hours between 4.00 am and 4.00 pm.
• Ordinary hours may extend to 11.00 pm where the employer conducts a greyhound or harness meeting open to the public, and may be worked on Saturday or Sunday where the employer conducts an event open to the public.","Once fixed, the start and finish times of ordinary work cannot be changed except by agreement or by the employer on 14 days' notice."],

Breaks and water restriction arrangements are easy to miss because they sit outside the usual day shift model. They should be planned and recorded as separate rule sets.

• If the employer is actually subject to water restriction, ordinary hours can be moved to other weekday times under clause 13.2, with 150% applying outside 6.30 am to 6.30 pm on weekdays.
• Employees must get an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes no later than 5 hours after starting work.
• Track crossing attendants who start before 6.30 am must be given a 30 minute breakfast break paid at ordinary time.
• Employees required to work through the normal meal break must be paid at 150% until the meal break is given.
• Employees also get paid 10 minute tea breaks in the morning and afternoon, and overtime break rules apply under clause 14.3.

This award has separate rules for ordinary-time penalties and overtime. The safest approach is to code early starts, evening meetings, weekend work and overtime as different pay events.

• For full-time and part-time employees, overtime applies for work beyond 38 hours a week, outside the spread of hours in clause 13.1 or beyond 10 hours in a day, and is paid at 150% for the first 2 hours and 200% after that.
• Overtime worked by full-time and part-time employees on Sunday is paid at 200% of the ordinary hourly rate.
• For casual employees, equivalent overtime is paid at 175% for the first 2 hours and 225% after that, with Sunday overtime at 225%.
• Track crossing attendants working ordinary time before 6.30 am receive a morning penalty, evening work at greyhound or harness meetings has its own penalty, and Saturday, Sunday and public holiday ordinary time can also attract penalty rates.
• After overtime, employees must get the 10 hour rest break protection and transport home if reasonable transport is not available.

Underclassification often starts when a grounds role grows over time. The award expects employers to review both the classification and the allowance triggers as responsibilities increase.

• The introductory level is a temporary training stage and should be reviewed promptly for progression to Level 1.
• Schedule A distinguishes between basic maintenance and horticulture work, higher level maintenance and horticulture work, trade work, supervisory work and management roles.
• Allowance questions can arise for first aid attendants, leading hands, employees in charge of tractor plant, accommodation arrangements and meals after qualifying overtime.
• Where duties have expanded into supervision or management, review the classification instead of leaving the employee on an outdated grounds classification.

PR799280, PR799295, PR799452

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

Affected: 15 - Minimum rates, 17 - Allowances, Schedule B - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule C - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule D - Supported Wage System