Sugar Award [MA000087]

This page is a summary of who the Sugar Award covers and doesn’t cover. Find a copy of the award at Sugar Award.

Learn how to calculate pay rates and check entitlements from Find pay rates and entitlements.

On this page:

Who the Sugar Award covers

The Sugar Award covers employers in the sugar industry and their employees who fit within a classification of the award.

The sugar industry means:

  • sugar cane farming operations (including operations of contractors) who perform:
    • general farm work, cane harvesting and haul out work and farm management
    • cane testing
    • pest, disease control, advisory and research operations of the Cane Protection and Productivity Boards and Sugar Research Australia Ltd
  • sugar milling including the following operations:
    • transporting and processing cane including cane railway construction, maintenance, repair and operation
    • factory maintenance, repair and operation
    • raw sugar refining at sugar mills
    • by-product manufacturing and processing at sugar mills
    • packaging operations performed at sugar mills
  • raw sugar refining at sugar refineries and their packaging operations
  • sugar by-product distilling for industrial purposes and packaging work directly linked to a sugar mill
  • bulk (packed or loose) receival, storage, outloading and ship loading at the industry's bulk terminals, including incidental commodities or materials
  • generation and/or transmission of power and/or steam that is part of work in the sugar industry (excess power can be sold to the grid).

Examples of employees and employers covered by the sugar industry includes:

  • employees who work in the field including:
    • employees who cultivate or work in cane production
    • cane haulage employees
    • cane harvesting employees
    • cane testing employees
  • milling employees including:
    • operators such as:
      • greasers
      • bagasse loftpersons and reclaimer operators
      • bulk sugar loaders
      • watchpersons
      • tram construction and maintenance workers
      • locomotive driver's assistants
    • production, transport and services employees such as:
      • sugar boiler assistants
      • storekeepers
      • drivers of tractors
      • dogpersons
      • truck drivers
      • diffuser attendants
      • forklift operators
      • backhoe operators
      • simplex operators
      • mobile crane operators
      • Malcolm Moore operators
      • chemists
      • fugal operators
      • sugar boilers
      • traffic officers
      • bridge carpenters
      • water tender in charge of boiler stations
      • engine drivers in mills
  • distilling and services operators
  • refinery operators
  • maintenance operators.

The Sugar Award also covers labour hire businesses and their employees who are placed with an organisation in the sugar industry.

Check the award for full information on who is covered and the classification descriptions.

Source reference: Sugar Industry Award [MA000087] clauses 2, 4 and schedules A, B and C

Who the Sugar Award doesn't cover

The following employers and employees are not covered by the Sugar Award:

  • clerical and administrative employees engaged exclusively to perform these duties
  • employers and their employees who work in the horticulture industry
  • employers and their employees who work in the pastoral industry.

The Sugar Award doesn't cover employers and employees when they are covered by the Manufacturing Award.

Check the award for full information on who isn't covered and the classification descriptions.

Source reference: Sugar Industry Award [MA000087] clauses 2, 4 and schedules A, B and C

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