Locksmiths Back-Office Services

The Award: typically the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 for on-site work, or the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 for a workshop

Which award applies depends on the business, the work each employee actually performs, their classification and whether they are full-time, part-time or casual. The Fair Work Ombudsman's summary of the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 lists locksmiths among the on-site employees it covers; a locksmith working in a manufacturing workshop may fall under the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award instead, so check which describes each employee's work. Check coverage for your own business rather than assuming one award covers everyone, and use the Fair Work Pay Calculator for the current rate for a given award, classification and shift.

Classifications: Manufacturing C10-C14 for workshop fabrication. Service classifications for mobile locksmith work.

Ordinary hours: 38 hours per week.

Penalty rates: the award sets separate rates for Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and for overtime, evening, night or shift work where it provides them, and they vary by classification and by whether the employee is full-time, part-time or casual — casual employees have their own rates in the award's penalty table. Rather than work from a remembered percentage, look up the current rate for the specific classification and shift on the Fair Work Pay Calculator and apply the rate in effect on the day worked. Emergency call-out provisions.

Minimum engagement: 3 hours casual minimum.

Key allowances: tool allowance, vehicle allowance, on-call allowance, emergency call-out.

Getting these provisions wrong creates systematic underpayment that compounds with every pay period. The Fair Work Ombudsman actively monitors compliance in this sector, and the penalties for deliberate underpayment were significantly increased under recent legislation. Valont's payroll specialists configure your payroll software with the exact award rules for each employee classification, eliminating manual interpretation errors.

Sources: award coverage — the Fair Work Ombudsman's summary of the Building and Construction Award [MA000020] (read 8 September 2026); pay and award rules — Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Commission; superannuation, BAS and tax — the Australian Taxation Office.