Wool Storage, Sampling and Testing Award

If you operate in the storage, handling, sampling or testing of wool in Australia - running a wool store, warehouse or wool testing operation - and you employ staff who are not otherwise award-free, the Wool Storage, Sampling and Testing Award 2020 (MA000044) is generally the relevant award. On-farm wool production and shearing fall under the Pastoral Award, and long-distance transport under the Road Transport awards. Confirm coverage for your specific operation against the Fair Work source before setting pay and conditions.

MA000044 sets minimum rates against classification levels defined by the skills, training and responsibilities of each role, from general wool handling and storage up to sampling, testing and more skilled or supervisory work. You assign each employee to the level matching the duties they actually perform, then pay at least that level's minimum rate. Job title alone is not enough; assess the real work. Look up the current rate for the classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Casual employees engaged in wool storage, sampling and testing, including seasonal labour, are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, in place of paid leave and other permanent entitlements. Across modern awards this loading is commonly 25%, but you should treat that as a guide only and confirm the exact figure MA000044 sets, along with any minimum engagement and casual conversion rules, against the Fair Work source before running pay.

Ordinary hours worked on Saturdays and Sundays attract weekend penalties on top of the minimum rate, which can arise when a busy selling season pushes work into the weekend. As a general guide across awards, Saturday loadings commonly run around 25% and Sunday around 50%, and they can combine with shift loadings. The wool storage award sets its own figures, so confirm the current Saturday and Sunday rates for the relevant role and employment type on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a premium under MA000044, and as a guide public holiday rates across awards can reach up to 150% of the ordinary rate. Employees who would normally work that day but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. If selling-season pressure means working a public holiday, confirm the current public holiday entitlement for the relevant role against the Fair Work source before processing that pay run.

Overtime applies when an employee works beyond the ordinary hours set by the award, such as exceeding daily or weekly limits or working outside the agreed spread of hours - which can happen as the selling season peaks. The award sets overtime rates that step up after the first couple of hours, with higher rates on Sundays and public holidays. Identify the overtime hours and confirm the exact multipliers for your situation 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 classification rates as full-timers. Review the part-time provisions in MA000044 for the full requirements before setting a roster.

Where the wool storage award provides for junior employees, they are paid on a percentage scale set against the relevant adult classification rate, with the percentage rising as the junior ages. Because the underlying adult rate changes with the annual review, the dollar figure for a junior also changes each year. Confirm both the percentage and the resulting rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than relying on memory.

The award provides for industry allowances that can include a first aid allowance for designated first aiders, a leading hand allowance that applies to skin and hide stores employees, a meal allowance, and clothing and footwear allowances for wool testing employees, in qualifying circumstances. Some are paid per shift or per occasion and are easy to overlook. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator, as they change with the annual review.

Yes. 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 ordinary rate. It applies to full-time and part-time employees taking annual leave. Casuals, including seasonal labour, do not accrue annual leave. Apply the loading when processing leave payments for permanent staff 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%. You must apply the new rates from that pay period, not the calendar date, so verify the current figures for each classification and allowance on the Fair Work Pay Calculator each year, particularly before bringing on selling-season labour.

Sampling, coring and grabbing of bales and the laboratory testing that follows are more skilled than general receiving, storage and handling, and the award reflects that through its classification levels. A sampling or testing employee should be placed at the level that matches those duties rather than a base wool handling rate, and supervisory responsibility lifts the level again. Assess what each person actually does, then confirm the current rate for that classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Start by confirming each employee's correct classification across handling, sampling and testing, then apply the current minimum rate, the right weekend, shift and public holiday penalties, overtime and any allowances, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate records of hours matter most when seasonal labour swells the roster. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for employers like wool stores and testing operations, mapping classifications, seasonal labour, penalties and allowances so the right amount is paid every cycle.