Oil Refining and Manufacturing Award

If your business in Australia refines oil or manufactures petroleum or related products and you employ staff who are not otherwise award-free, the Oil Refining and Manufacturing Award 2020 (MA000072) generally applies. It covers process, plant, maintenance and technical roles in refining and manufacturing. Fuel distribution, retail and general manufacturing may fall under other awards, so confirm coverage for your operation and roles against the Fair Work source before setting pay.

Match the employee to the level that reflects the work they actually do, using the classification definitions in the award, which describe the skills, qualifications and responsibilities for each grade across operator, trades and technical roles. Title alone is not enough; assess the real duties and competencies. Once you have the correct level, look up its current minimum rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

The award distinguishes day workers from shift workers, and within shift work between continuous and non-continuous operations, because these affect how ordinary hours, shift loadings, penalties and leave are calculated. Continuous shift work, common in refining, runs around the clock and often carries additional entitlements. Identify each employee's correct work pattern first, then apply the matching provisions and confirm the current figures on the Fair Work source.

MA000072 pays shift loadings on top of the base rate for afternoon and night shifts, with the amount depending on the shift and whether the operation is continuous. These loadings apply in addition to any weekend or public holiday penalties, so an overnight weekend shift can combine several elements. Map each shift's start time and day, then confirm the current loading for that shift band from the Fair Work source rather than applying a single flat figure.

Saturday and Sunday work attracts weekend penalties on top of the ordinary rate, and on a 24/7 refining roster these come up regularly. As a guide, weekend penalties across awards commonly run around 25% on Saturday and 50% on Sunday, and they can combine with shift loadings for evening or overnight work. Confirm what MA000072 actually provides for the relevant shift and employment type against the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than assuming a figure.

Public holiday entitlements flow from the National Employment Standards and the award. As a guide, public holiday work across awards can attract penalties of up to 150%, but the award's own provisions determine what actually applies to a given shift, including public holidays that fall during a continuous shift cycle. Always verify the public holiday rate, and arrangements for staff who do not work the day, for this award using the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing the pay run.

Overtime generally applies to hours worked beyond an employee's ordinary or rostered hours, with the award setting different overtime rates for the first hours and for hours after that, plus separate treatment on weekends and public holidays and for shift workers. Identify which hours count as overtime for each worker, taking their day-work or shift pattern into account, and confirm the applicable overtime rate for this award via the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Yes. Part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, and the award requires the agreed hours, days and times to be recorded in writing, with changes agreed in writing too. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same classification rates as full-timers, and additional hours may attract overtime or penalty treatment. Check the part-time provisions in the award for the full requirements before engaging staff this way.

Continuous shift workers keeping a refinery running around the clock often receive additional annual leave and have specific provisions for shift loadings, breaks, changeovers and public holidays that fall within their cycle. These differ from day-worker entitlements and are easy to under-apply. Identify who is a continuous shift worker, then confirm the relevant leave, loading and break provisions for this award against the Fair Work source.

The award provides for allowances depending on the work and conditions, which can include a leading hand allowance, a first aid allowance, a meal allowance for qualifying overtime, and disability or industry-specific allowances for particular tasks or conditions encountered in refining and manufacturing. Because several are paid per shift or per occasion, they are easy to miss. Identify which apply to each role and confirm current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when an employee takes paid annual leave, and under this award it is 17.5% of the minimum rate. Shift workers may instead receive the higher of the loading or the shift penalties they would have earned, and continuous shift workers often accrue additional annual leave. Casuals do not accrue annual leave. Apply the correct calculation for each case and confirm it against the Fair Work source.

Modern award minimum rates increase following the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review and take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. The 2026 review added 4.75% to modern award minimums. Apply increases from the correct pay period rather than the calendar date, and pull the new figures for each classification and allowance from the Fair Work source so pay stays compliant across day and shift workers.

The risks with MA000072 sit in the detail: the right classification, the correct day-work or continuous-shift pattern, stacked shift, weekend and public holiday penalties on a 24/7 roster, continuous-shift leave and break entitlements, the full set of allowances, and rates refreshed every July. The safest approach is to anchor every figure to the Fair Work Pay Calculator and review pay each 1 July. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for refining and manufacturing employers, mapping rosters to the correct classifications, penalties and allowances so figures stay current and accurate.