Poultry Processing Award

If your business slaughters, processes, bones, packs or prepares poultry products in Australia and employs staff who are not award-free, the Poultry Processing Award 2020 (MA000074) generally applies. It is a processing award covering plant and production roles, not poultry farming or growing, which fall under the Pastoral Award, nor retail. Confirm coverage against the Fair Work source, as related operations can fall under different awards.

Match each employee to the level that reflects the work they actually do, using the classification definitions in the award, which run from entry-level processing and packing hands through slaughtering, boning and plant operation to leading hand and supervisory bands. Title alone is not enough; assess the real duties and skills. Once you have the correct level, look up its current minimum rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Casual employees are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of paid leave and other entitlements casuals do not receive. On a processing site the loading can interact with shift and weekend arrangements, so treat 25% as a guide only. Confirm the exact current casual loading, and how it combines with shift work, for this award on the Fair Work source before running pay.

Saturday and Sunday work attracts weekend penalties on top of the ordinary rate. As a general guide, Saturday is commonly around 25% and Sunday around 50% across awards, and these can combine with shift loadings on an extended processing roster. The figures MA000074 actually sets depend on the shift and employment type, so confirm the current Saturday and Sunday rates on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing pay.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a significant premium, which across awards can reach up to 150% of the ordinary rate, and a minimum engagement may apply. Employees who would normally work that day but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. The award's own provisions govern what applies to a given shift, so verify the current public holiday entitlement for MA000074 against the Fair Work source.

Overtime generally applies to hours worked beyond an employee's ordinary or rostered hours, or outside the agreed spread of hours, with the award setting different rates for the first hours and for hours after that, and separate treatment on weekends. Shift workers may have their own overtime arrangements. Identify which hours count as overtime for each worker and confirm the applicable overtime rate for this award on 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 and days to be set out in writing, with changes also agreed in writing. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same minimum rates as full-timers for their classification. Check the part-time provisions in MA000074 for the full requirements before setting a part-time arrangement.

Where younger employees are engaged, junior rates are generally paid as a percentage of the relevant adult classification rate that increases with age until the employee reaches the adult rate. The exact percentages depend on age and the classification. Rather than rely on a remembered figure, confirm the current junior rates for the relevant classification under MA000074 on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before setting pay.

The award provides for allowances relevant to processing work, which may include leading hand, cold work or chiller allowances for chilled production areas, first aid, meal allowances for qualifying overtime, and a vehicle allowance. Protective clothing and equipment are supplied by the employer rather than paid as an allowance. Some are paid per shift or per occasion, so they are easy to miss. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than relying on past figures.

Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when an employee takes paid annual leave, set at 17.5% under this award. It applies to full-time and part-time employees taking annual leave, while casuals do not accrue annual leave. Shift workers may have alternative arrangements where shift loadings would otherwise be higher. Apply the loading when processing leave and confirm the calculation against the Fair Work source.

Minimum rates and many allowances are reviewed each year in 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 increased modern award minimums by 4.75%. Apply the new rates from the correct pay period, not the calendar date, and verify the current figures for each classification and allowance on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Poultry processing involves chilled and cold production areas, and the award commonly recognises this through a cold work or chiller allowance for employees working in those conditions, with protective clothing and equipment supplied by the employer rather than paid as an allowance. Treating cold-area work as ordinary hours and missing the allowance is a frequent error. Identify which employees work in chilled areas and confirm the current allowance for MA000074 on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Start by confirming each employee's correct classification, then apply the current minimum rate, the right shift, weekend and public holiday loadings, overtime tiers and any applicable allowances including cold work, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate time and shift records are essential on a multi-shift site. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for processors, mapping rosters to the correct classifications, loadings and allowances so the right amount is paid every cycle.