Building and construction industry
Directing employees to take annual leave during an end-of-year shutdown
Awards in the building and construction industry have rules about end-of-year shutdowns.
In some cases, employers may need to give at least 2 months’ notice in writing if they want to direct employees to take annual leave during a shutdown.
Check the rules in your award at List of awards.
For more information, see Rules and entitlements during the end-of-year holiday season.
Find all the information and resources you need to understand your workplace rights and obligations in the building and construction industry.
On this page:
- Workplace rights and obligations in the building and construction industry
- Dealing with workplace problems
- Keep up to date
- Related information
Workplace rights and obligations in the building and construction industry
Employers and employees in the building and construction industry can find free tools and resources about workplace rights and obligations on our website.
Pay and entitlements
Many employers and employees in the building and construction industry are covered by the:
- Building and Construction General On-Site Award
- Electric, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award
- Mobile Crane Hiring Award
- Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award.
To check which award covers you, use our 3-step Find my award tool.
For general information about pay and entitlements, visit our Pay and wages section. To calculate pay rates and other monetary amounts under your award, use our Pay Calculator.
We also have general information on:
- leave
- public holidays
- hours of work
- breaks and rosters
- allowances
- penalty rates and overtime pay
- ending employment.
For tailored industry information on these topics, use the industry filters available on various pages. Look for the boxes pictured below and select ‘Building, construction and on-site trades industry’ from the drop-down menu then select your sub-industry.
We also have general information about enterprise agreements, who they apply to and how they’re made. For more information, visit Agreements. To find an enterprise or registered agreement that applies to your workplace, visit Fair Work Commission – Find an agreement.
Protections at work
There are various protections under the Fair Work Act. Find information on:
- General protections at work, including Protection from discrimination at work
- The role of unions and Union membership
- Right of entry
- Industrial action and protests and Payment during industrial action (also known as strike pay)
- Bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination at work.
Contracting arrangements
Independent contractors have different rights and obligations to employees. It’s important to understand the difference between the two. If you’re a contractor, or you’re looking to engage a contractor, read our information about Independent contractors.
You'll find information about:
- the difference between contractors and employees
- sham contracting
- where to get help as a contractor, including for payment disputes (security of payment).
Dealing with workplace problems
Problems can happen in any workplace. We have tools and information to help employers and employees resolve problems at work.
Use the tools and resources in our Workplace problems section to:
- help prevent problems at work
- deal with common workplace problems
- fix any problems that come up, including to find out how to get help and report issues anonymously to us.
Keep up to date
For news and updates about important workplace issues relevant to you, subscribe to our email updates. You can also follow us on social media.
