Award register

MA000017CurrentManufacturing and production

Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Associated Industries Award

The Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Associated Industries Award is a broad manufacturing award with real detail around skill levels, part-time documentation, casual limits, payment by results and outwork. Small businesses often go wrong by treating it as a simple garment award or by assuming every employee at a covered site falls under it. The safer approach is to test the work activity, apply the skill structure properly and check the specific exclusions before payroll settings are finalised.

Consolidated through
1 July 2026
Source checked
1 August 2026
Official source
Current award

01Who this award covers

This is a manufacturing award for textile, clothing, footwear and associated industries. It is broader than garment making alone and reaches a wide range of processing, fabrication and related work. The starting question is the actual industry activity and the employee's skill level, not the business name or whether the product is sold to the public.

Businesses and work usually covered

  • Textile operations such as spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing, bleaching, finishing, printing and related processing.
  • Clothing work involving designing, preparing, manufacturing, processing, labelling or finishing garments and related articles.
  • Footwear work involving preparation, manufacture, making and repair of footwear and component parts.
  • Bag making, including manufacture or repair of bags, tents, tarpaulins, blinds and covers.
  • Button making and allied manufacturing or fabricating activities described in the coverage clause.

When another award or arrangement may apply

  • Electricians.
  • Clerical employees within the application of the Clerks Private Sector Award 2020.
  • Maintenance tradespersons and their apprentices covered by the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020, except textile, clothing and footwear mechanics or tradespersons and their apprentices covered by this award.
  • Employees covered by a modern enterprise award, enterprise instrument or relevant state public sector award.
  • Employees whose work is better matched to another award classification where this award has no suitable fit.

02Roles and classifications

The award contains classification levels that connect an employee's duties, skills and responsibility to a minimum rate. Common role descriptions include:

  • Trainees and production employees progressing through skill levels.
  • Employees performing textile processing, weaving, dyeing, finishing, printing and related manufacturing work.
  • Employees involved in clothing design, preparation, manufacturing, processing, labelling or finishing.
  • Employees involved in footwear manufacture, component work and repair.
  • Outworkers and outworker entities covered by the specific outwork schedule.

A familiar job title is only a starting point. Match the employee's real duties against the classification definitions and keep a written record of the level selected.

03Rules employers need to check

Classify the work before using the award

cl Clause 4 coverage, Schedule A skill levels, Schedule B definitions

This award has broad industry reach, but it is still a classification based award with important exclusions. Coverage and skill level should be tested together.

  • Check whether the work sits in textile, clothing, footwear, bag making, button making or allied manufacturing and fabricating activities described by the award.
  • Then classify the employee by skill level rather than by a home made title.
  • Be careful with clerical, electrical and maintenance trade exclusions.

Document part-time work and use casuals carefully

cl Clauses 8 to 11

Employment type matters in this award because part-time terms are formal and casual engagement is narrower than many employers expect.

  • Part-time employees need a written regular pattern of work that states the hours, days and actual start and finish times.
  • Any variation must also be agreed and recorded in writing.
  • Casual employees are restricted to relieving work or work of an irregular or intermittent nature.

Keep production hours inside the award framework

cl Clause 16 ordinary hours, Clause 17 rostering, Clause 18 breaks

Factories often drift into customs that are not reflected in the award. Rosters should be checked against the award wording before production hours change.

  • Ordinary hours are fixed by agreement but must stay within the award framework.
  • There is a standard weekday spread of hours, with limited scope to alter start and finish times or daily hours through the award's majority agreement process.
  • Overtime exposure starts quickly if the roster is changed informally.

Treat outwork and payment by results as separate compliance topics

cl Clause 10.8 part-time payment by results, Clause 21 payment by results, Clause 14 outwork and related provisions

Outwork and payment by results are not side issues under this award. They are central risk areas that need their own compliance checks.

  • This award has special provisions for payment by results and for outwork.
  • If those models are used, they need to be set up against the award instead of being treated as a private commercial arrangement.
  • Part-time payment by results still has a minimum award floor.

Audit allowances and reimbursements

cl Clause 22 allowances

Allowance problems usually come from treating factory costs as built into base pay. The award expects separate checking.

  • Allowances are not limited to one generic payment.
  • The award includes wage related and expense related allowances such as first aid, leading hand, meal, uniform, tool and protective clothing style reimbursements.
  • Check which ones arise from the actual production set up and who bears the cost.

Check NES and overlap issues

cl Clause 3 NES and award, Clause 4.5 other instruments

Do not make an award decision in isolation from the NES and other industrial instruments. Overlap questions matter in mixed businesses.

  • The NES continue to apply.
  • Enterprise awards, enterprise instruments and some state public sector awards can displace this award.
  • Where the award has no suitable classification, another occupational award may be the right answer.

04Pay rates, penalties and allowances

The safest way to check a current rate is to start with the employee's classification, employment type and working pattern, then use Fair Work's current pay guide or Pay and Conditions Tool. Rates can change after an Annual Wage Review or an award variation.

Open the official pay guideFair Work OmbudsmanCalculate pay and conditionsFair Work Pay and Conditions Tool

05Common workplace examples

Office administrator in a clothing manufacturing business

Usually no. Clerical employees within the Clerks Private Sector Award 2020 are excluded, even if they work at a covered manufacturing site. The production workforce may be under this award while office staff are not.

Business using outworkers for garment production

Yes, potentially. The award expressly covers outworker entities in respect of the outwork schedule, so outwork has to be assessed under the award rather than ignored as external contracting.

Part-time employee paid by results in a footwear operation

Possibly yes, if the work fits the award and the pay system complies with the award rules. But part-time payment by results must still leave the employee at least at the relevant hourly floor for time worked.

06Recent changes to this award

PR799280, PR799298, PR799455

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 - Payment by results (PBR), 22 - Allowances - General, 23 - Allowances - Clothing industry, 24 - Allowances - Textile industry, 25 - Allowances - Felt and wadding industry, 30 - Shiftwork and penalty rates - textile industry, Schedule C - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay - General, Schedule D - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule F - Outwork and Related Provisions, Schedule G - Supported Wage System

07What to do next

  1. 01Map each role to the award's covered industry definitions before deciding pay and conditions.
  2. 02Use the Schedule A and B skill descriptions to classify employees by competency, not by seniority labels alone.
  3. 03Put every part-time arrangement in writing, including any later variation.
  4. 04Review whether any casual engagement is genuinely relieving, irregular or intermittent.
  5. 05If the business uses outworkers or payment by results, run a separate compliance review for those arrangements.
  6. 06Check whether clerical, electrical or maintenance trade roles belong under another award.

08Common questions

Does this award cover office staff in a clothing factory?

Not under this award if they fall within the Clerks Private Sector Award 2020. This award is aimed at covered production and related work, not every role at the site.

Can a part-time employee be paid by results?

Yes, the award recognises part-time employees who are paid by results, but their pay cannot fall below the hourly rate for their skill level for the time worked.

How do the skill levels work?

The award uses a trainee level and then a series of skill levels. You should classify by the skills actually used, the complexity of the tasks and the competency expectations in Schedules A and B.

What if the business uses outworkers?

Outwork is dealt with separately and needs its own compliance review. If the business uses outworkers, you should not assume ordinary factory rules are enough.

Can I use casuals for ordinary ongoing production work?

No. Under this award, casual employment is limited to relieving work or work of an irregular or intermittent nature. It is not a free choice for regular permanent production work.

Official sources and related help

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Modern award coverage and classification depend on the facts. Check the current official award and get advice for your business before relying on this page.

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