Timber Industry Award

This award is broad, but it is not universal. The first compliance step is to place the work in the correct timber sector and rule out an excluded award.

• Identify which timber sector or sectors the business and the role fall into under clause 4.2, remembering the sectors can overlap.
• Check the express exclusions for silviculture, graphic arts, road transport and long distance road transport work before applying this award.
• If more than one award could apply, clause 5.3 requires the classification that is most appropriate to the work performed and the environment in which it is normally performed.

Employment type changes the compliance model materially under this award. Piecework in particular is tightly defined and should never be assumed from industry custom.

• Part-time employees work less than an average of 38 ordinary hours, have a regular pattern of hours, and must have their agreed hours, days and start and finish times recorded in writing. A regular part-time shift must be at least 3 consecutive hours.
• Casual employees have a 4 hour minimum engagement and a 25 percent loading.
• Piecework is limited to a non-weekly employee working away from the employer's site in connection with obtaining timber, and the piece rate must be fixed so that an employee of average capacity can earn at least 25 percent above the appropriate weekly base rate for an ordinary week's work.

Timber businesses often copy roster patterns across different operations, but this award requires the roster to match the kind of worker and the work cycle actually being used.

• For day workers, ordinary hours average 38 per week and are worked between 6.30 am and 6.00 pm Monday to Friday in a 1, 2, 3 or 4 week cycle, unless agreement allows ordinary hours on other days including weekends.
• Shiftworkers have their own ordinary hours model, and watchpersons may be employed on 152 hours in a 4 week cycle but cannot work more than 48 hours in a week or 80 hours in a fortnight without overtime.
• If rostered days or shifts off are used, record the arrangements and give at least 4 weeks' written notice of the day or shift to be taken off.

Entry level in this award is a structured training stage, not a generic low paid category that can be left in place indefinitely.

• Level 1 is for induction and skills training. Workers at this level are under direct supervision at all times and are expected to exercise minimal judgment.
• A worker who cannot yet meet Level 2 can remain at Level 1 for a maximum of 3 months, with only a further extension of up to 3 months if the employee agrees and, if the employee is a union member, the union is involved.
• At least 3 weeks before the initial 3 months expires, the employer must give written advice setting out the competency gaps and must develop a documented plan to help the employee reach the required standard.

The award does not stand alone. Coverage and engagement decisions still need to be checked against the NES and overlapping instruments.

• The National Employment Standards continue to apply alongside the award.
• Enterprise instruments and State public sector awards can displace coverage altogether.
• Casual conversion pathways sit under the NES, so employers should not treat casual engagement as a way around the award's ordinary hours, classification or part-time rules.

Classification errors do not stop at coverage. They usually become payroll errors as well if the stream and grade are not checked carefully.

• Minimum rates under this award depend on the employee's stream and grade, so a wrong classification choice can flow through the entire payroll setup.
• Before loading payroll, confirm the employee has been matched to the correct sector and skill level rather than assuming one timber pay table fits every operation.

PR799280, PR799351, PR799507

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

Affected: 14 - Fire fighting employees, 20 - Minimum rates, 22 - Wage-related allowances, 23 - Expense-related allowances, Schedule D - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule E - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule G - Supported Wage System, Schedule H - Piece Rates for Workers in Specified Districts