Black Coal Mining Industry Award

It covers employees whose duties are directly connected with the day-to-day operation of a black coal mine, classified either as production and engineering employees (Schedule A) or staff employees (Schedule B), plus Mines Rescue Service workers under a separate schedule. It does not cover brown coal mining, head offices, export terminals, on-site construction or catering. Check the coverage clause on the Fair Work source if a role sits near the boundary.

No. MA000001 applies to the black coal mining industry only. Brown coal mining is expressly excluded, as are corporate head offices, coal export terminals, construction work, catering services and the haulage of coal off-site. If your operation is brown coal or one of these excluded activities, a different award or arrangement will usually apply, so confirm coverage against the Fair Work source.

Minimum hourly rates are set by classification across Schedule A (production and engineering) and Schedule B (staff), with Mines Rescue employees covered separately. Each classification has its own published minimum rate. Where an employee performs mixed functions on a shift, the whole shift is paid at the rate for the highest function. Take the current rate for any classification from the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than a remembered figure.

Employees are entitled to five weeks of annual leave each year, a cumulative total of 175 ordinary hours, rather than the standard four weeks in most awards. Employees on a qualifying seven-day roster (working ordinary shifts on public holidays and a set number of Sunday hours) receive an additional week. This is a common compliance trap, so verify the current entitlement on the Fair Work source.

Leave is not just paid at the base rate. The award requires the greater of the employee's ordinary rate plus the applicable leave loading, or their rostered earnings for the period, which includes rostered overtime and rostered public holidays. For seven-day roster employees the calculation can also pick up shift components. Confirm the exact method and the current loading percentage against the Fair Work source before paying out leave.

Casual employees are commonly paid a loading of 25% on top of the minimum hourly rate, in lieu of entitlements such as annual leave and paid personal/carer's leave. As with all awards, the loading and any minimum engagement conditions can change, so confirm the current figure and rules against the Fair Work source before setting a casual's pay.

Weekend work attracts penalty rates that vary by the type of shift worked and whether the hours are ordinary or overtime. As a guide across modern awards, Saturday penalties are commonly around 25% and Sunday around 50% for ordinary work, but this roster-based award sets its own multipliers and they can be higher. Always confirm the current weekend rate for the specific shift on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Overtime is paid at penalty multiples of the minimum hourly rate, and the rate typically escalates after the first few hours of overtime, with different treatment for Saturday and Sunday and for roster employees. Because the exact multipliers and the point at which they step up depend on the day and shift, check the overtime provisions and current figures against the Fair Work source rather than applying a generic rate.

Work on a public holiday is paid at high rates under this award, with ordinary hours and overtime attracting different multipliers and additional shift penalties able to apply. As a general guide, public holiday work across awards can reach up to 150% or more, and roster employees in this industry can be paid at even higher rates. Confirm the current public holiday rate for the relevant shift on the Fair Work source.

The award sets out allowances within its schedules alongside the classification rates, and some are treated as facilitative provisions where the method of payment can be agreed. Because allowances are specific to this award and their values are indexed over time, do not rely on a remembered amount. Look up the current allowance and the conditions that trigger it on the Fair Work source before adding it to pay.

Modern award minimum rates increase from the first full pay period on or after 1 July each year, following the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review. The 2026 review added 4.75% to modern award minimums. To apply the change correctly you need the exact new rate for each classification, so take it from the Fair Work Pay Calculator and apply it from the first full pay period after the effective date.

The award provides additional shift penalties for afternoon, rotating night and permanent night shifts, and these sit alongside weekend, overtime and public holiday rates. On a continuous or seven-day roster these can compound, which is why manual calculation is risky. Identify each applicable loading and confirm its current value against the Fair Work source so the components are layered correctly. Valont's award-compliant payroll service is built to handle exactly this kind of stacked roster calculation.

Classify each employee correctly under the right schedule, apply the five-week leave entitlement, use the correct method for paying leave, and layer roster penalties, overtime and public holiday rates accurately, always against current Fair Work figures. Keep records and update rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. Outsourcing to a provider like Valont, whose payroll is kept award-compliant against the Fair Work source, removes much of this manual risk.