Learn more about entitlements for employees in the meat industry.

On this page:

• Checking pay and conditions
• Meat Award coverage
• Classification levels
• Hours of work
• Penalty rates
• Shiftwork
• Breaks
• Overtime
• Allowances
• Tools and resources
• Related information

Checking pay and conditions

To confirm whether an employee is receiving the right pay and conditions, check if they are:

• covered by the Meat Award
• classified at the right level
• a shiftworker or day worker, based on their hours of work
• entitled to any allowances.

You can calculate the minimum pay rate, penalty rates and allowances using our Pay and Conditions Tool.

Meat Award coverage

The Meat Award applies to employers in the meat industry and their employees.

The meat industry means:

• manufacturing meat
• processing meat
• retailing or wholesaling meat at a stand-alone business.

There are specific rules about who is and isn’t covered under the Meat Award. For more information, visit Meat Award summary.

Classification levels

Under the Meat Award, employers are grouped into different streams based on what the business does.

The streams are:

• meat manufacturing
• meat processing
• meat retail.

Detailed definitions of the streams can be found in Clause 4.2 of the Award.

The employer’s stream is relevant for working out the employee’s classification level, as well as other entitlements, including hours of work and allowances.

An employee’s classification level will depend on both their duties, skills and experience and their employer’s stream.

An employee’s minimum pay rate is set by their classification level, not their stream.

Detailed descriptions of the classification levels as well as industry specific terms are defined in Schedule A.2 of the Award.

Employees can find their minimum pay rate using our Pay and Conditions Tool.

Hours of work

The Meat Award outlines ordinary hours for day workers.

The rules for ordinary hours set the:

• hours worked per week or month (for full-time employees)
• shift length (the number of hours per day)
• spread of hours (when the hours are worked).

A full-time employee's ordinary hours of work must not be more than:

• 38 hours per week, or
• an average of 38 hours per week but not more than 152 hours over 28 days.

Any hours worked over this amount is considered overtime.

Part-time employees work less than 38 hours per week and have a reasonably predictable pattern of work.

Casual employees can work a maximum of 38 hours a week.

For more information on employees working shifts, visit Shiftwork.

Shift length

Employees can work a maximum of 10 ordinary hours per day.

Part-time employees must be engaged for at least 4 hours in a row each shift.

Casuals must be engaged each shift or day for at least:

• 2 hours, if they’re a cleaner
• 3 hours, if they’re a bookkeeper
• 4 hours, for all other employees.

Spread of hours

The spread of hours varies between the streams.

Hours worked outside the spread of hours are counted as overtime.

Meat processing

Meat processing employees’ ordinary hours should be worked between 6 am and 8 pm, Monday to Friday.

This spread can be changed by up to an hour on either side by agreement between the employer and the majority of affected employees. It can also be changed by agreement with individual employees in some cases.

Ordinary hours can be worked on Saturday and Sunday if employers agree with the majority of affected employees or an individual employee.

Employees working on weekends get penalty rates. For more information, go to Penalty rates.

Meat manufacturing

In the meat manufacturing stream, hours are worked between 6 am and 6 pm, Monday to Saturday.

On Saturdays, employees can work up to 4 hours as ordinary hours. For these hours they get Saturday penalty rates.

Overtime applies for any work after the first 4 hours worked on Saturday and for any work on Sunday. To learn more, go to Overtime.

Cleaners

Cleaners can work ordinary hours between 6:30 am and midnight in any stream under the Meat Award.

Cleaners are entitled to be paid:

• 105% of the minimum hourly rate, between 8:30 am and midday
• 112.5% of the minimum hourly rate, between midday and midnight.

Rosters

Rosters must be displayed in the workplace showing start and finish times. The start and finish times must be for a period of at least a week.

The roster can be changed by the employer with 36 hours’ notice, subject to consultation rules in the award.

Shiftwork employees must be given at least 24 hours' notice if their employer needs to change their start time. If the employee agrees, no notice needs to be given.

Employees regularly working Sundays

Employees working ordinary hours every Sunday over a 152 hour or month-long work cycle must be given 3 consecutive days off in the roster cycle. This must include Saturday and Sunday.

Alternative arrangements can be agreed in writing between the employer and employee.

Penalty rates

Employees are entitled to receive higher minimum pay rates when working certain hours.

These penalty rates don’t apply to shiftworkers. Shiftworkers receive different rates. For more information, visit Shiftwork.

Penalty rates apply to ordinary hours performed at certain times. Work outside ordinary hours is counted as overtime.

Casuals don’t receive their casual loading on top of any penalty rate they receive.

In the meat processing stream, employees get:

• 150% of their ordinary hourly rate on Saturday
• 200% of their ordinary hourly rate on Sunday.

In the meat manufacturing stream, employees get:

• 125% of their ordinary hourly rate for the first 4 hours on Saturday
• overtime rates after the first 4 hours on Saturday and for all overtime hours on Sunday.

On public holidays, all employees get:

• 200% of their ordinary hourly rate on Christmas Day and Anzac Day
• 150% of their ordinary hourly rate for the first 4 hours and 200% for all hours after on Good Friday
• 150% of their ordinary hourly rate for the first 2 hours, and 200% for all hours after on any other public holiday.

Employees can agree with their employer to take time off instead of being paid public holiday rates. If they do this they will be entitled to take equivalent time off for the time worked on the public holiday.

The leave must be taken within 28 days of the holiday, unless otherwise agreed.

For more information on penalty rates, visit our Library article Penalty rates in the Meat Award.

Shiftwork

There are specific rules for employees working early morning, afternoon and night shifts. While working these shifts, employees are called shiftworkers.

Under the Meat Award, shiftworkers may work the following shifts:

• afternoon shift – starts at or after 2 pm and finishes at or before midnight
• night shift – finishes after midnight and at or before 9 am
• fixed night shift – a night shift which continues for 3 or more weeks without rotating with another shift.

Shiftworkers are entitled to be paid the following shift loadings when they work certain hours:

Non-successive shifts are afternoon or night shifts that the employer runs for less than 5 shifts in a row. For example, where an employer who doesn’t usually run a night shift rosters an occasional night shift to catch up on work. Employees on these shifts must be paid 115% of the ordinary hourly rate.

Casual shiftworkers must be paid an additional 25% casual loading on top of their shiftwork loading.

Shiftworkers working on weekends or public holidays get the weekend or public holiday penalty rate for the hours they work on those days. You can easily calculate the penalty rates that may apply using our Pay and Conditions Tool.

Breaks

Employees must get an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes no later than 5 hours after the start of work. Employers and employees can agree on alternative breaks.

Meat processing employees are entitled to a paid rest break of 10 minutes if:

• the shift is at least 4 hours
• their duties are integral to the operation of a production line
• they work in slaughtering or boning operations, and
• their employer employs more than 15 employees doing the same kind of work.

This break should be taken in the first half of the shift at a time decided by the employer.

Shiftworkers not employed in a three-shift system must receive either:

• an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes no later than 5 hours after the start of work, or
• crib time of 30 minutes after working 5 hours, counted as time worked and taken at a time agreed between employer and majority of affected employees.

If an interruption of work happens within 20 minutes of the start of a rest break or meal break, the employer can direct the employees to start their break early.

If there’s a breakdown of machinery within an hour of the normal meal break, the employer can direct the employees to have their meal break at an earlier time.

Overtime

Any work performed outside of ordinary hours is overtime.

Overtime hours attract a higher pay rate. The overtime rates for all employees are:

• 150% of the ordinary hourly rate for the first 3 hours of work
• 200% of the ordinary hourly rate for all work after 3 hours.

For meat processing employees, all overtime on Sunday must be paid at 200% of the ordinary hourly rate with a minimum payment of 4 hours.

Casuals working overtime don’t get their casual loading added to their overtime rate.

An employee and employer can agree for the employee to receive time off instead of being paid for a particular amount of overtime worked. This is also known as time off in lieu, or TOIL.

For information about overtime, read our Library article Calculating overtime in the Meat Award.

Allowances

Allowances are additional payments made to an employee to cover certain expenses, compensate for performing a specific task or working in a specific location.

The Meat Award includes allowances for:

• travel
• meals after overtime
• first aid duties
• clothing
• specific tasks.

For general information on allowances and how they are paid, go to Allowances.

Source reference for page: Meat Industry Award [MA000059] clauses 4, 9–10, 12, 14–15, 20, 22–24 , 31.

Tools and resources

• Pay and Conditions Tool
• Common workplace problems
• Fixing a workplace problem

Related information

• Meat Award summary
• Payment by results in the Meat Award
• Calculating overtime in the Meat Award
• Penalty rates in the Meat Award
• Employee entitlements in the poultry industry