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Table of content
- What is the Cleaning Services Award?
- Who is entitled to the Cleaning Services Award?
- How is the shiftwork arranged in the Cleaning Services Award?
- How are wages and allowances calculated in the Cleaning Services Award?
- How is the leave managed in the Cleaning Services Award?
- How to keep in compliance with the Cleaning Services Award？
- How can Workstem assist you?
This article provides guidelines on the Australian Cleaning Services Award package. For more information on this award, please refer to the Cleaning Services Award Guide [MA000022].
What is the Cleaning Services Award?
The Cleaning Services Award is a set of legal minimum employment standards and conditions for those employed in the cleaning services industry in Australia.
It sets out the minimum wage rates, working hours, leave entitlements, and other conditions for cleaners, trolley collectors, and employees of contract cleaning services businesses, specialist cleaning businesses, and labour hire businesses in the cleaning services industry in Australia.
The Cleaning Services Award aims to ensure that cleaning services workers and their assistants are treated fairly and receive reasonable pay and conditions for their work.k.
Who is entitled to the Cleaning Services Award?
Coverage
The Cleaning Award covers employers in the contract cleaning services industry and their employees who fit within the classifications of the award.
The contract cleaning services industry means providing cleaning services under a contract. Cleaning services also includes:
- event cleaning (ie. cleaning at sporting, cultural, scientific, technological, agricultural or entertainment events or exhibitions)
- trolley collection
- hygiene and pollution control
- minor property maintenance incidental to cleaning.
Examples of employers and employees covered by the Cleaning Award include:
- office cleaners employed by a contract cleaning business
- shopping centre cleaners employed by a contract cleaning business
- house and apartment cleaners employed by a contract cleaning business
- specialist cleaning businesses (for example, gutter cleaning, cleaning and restoration, damaged property cleaning, bus shelter cleaning businesses)
- trolley collectors working for a contract trolley business.
The Cleaning Award also covers labour hire businesses and their employees who are placed with an organisation in the contract cleaning services industry.
Types of employment
This award covers the following employee categories:
- A full-time employee is an ongoing employee engaged to work an average of 38 ordinary hours per week.
- A part-time employee is an employee who is engaged to work for fewer than an average of 38 ordinary hours per week and whose hours of work are reasonably predictable.
- A casual employee may only be engaged to perform work on an intermittent or irregular basis, to work uncertain hours, or to replace a full-time or part-time employee who is rostered off or absent.
The Award does not generally cover
The following employers and employees are not covered by the Cleaning Award:
- trolley collectors employed by a retail business
- cleaners employed by a business that is not a contracting cleaning business (for example, employed directly by a retail shop or hotel)
- car washers/detailers
- laundry and dry-cleaning
- cleaning at civil construction premises.
The Cleaning Award doesn’t cover employers and employees when they are covered by one of the following awards:
- Hospitality Award
- Retail Award.
Source reference: Cleaning Services Award [MA000022] clauses 2, 4 and schedule A
How is the shiftwork arranged in the Cleaning Services Award?
Hours of Work
|
|
Full-time employees |
Part-time and casual employees |
|
Ordinary hours of work and roster cycles |
|
|
Breaks
|
Paid meal break |
|
|
Paid rest break |
|
How are wages and allowances calculated in the Cleaning Services Award?
Minimum rates
- Adult rates
|
Cleaning Services Employee classification |
Minimum weekly rate (full-time employee) | Minimum hourly rate |
|
|
$ |
$ |
| Level 1 | 914.70 |
24.07 |
|
Level 2 |
945.00 |
24.87 |
| Level 3 | 995.00 |
26.18 |
- Junior rates(employees of shopping trolley collection contractors)
|
Age |
Minimum % of minimum adult rate |
|
Under 16 years of age |
45 |
|
16 years of age |
50 |
| 17 years of age |
60 |
| 18 years of age |
70 |
| 19 years of age |
80 |
| 20 years of age |
90 |
*NOTE: Schedule B—Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay sets out the hourly rates of pay including overtime rates and penalty rates.
Overtime rates
The overtime rate payable to an employee depends on the time at which the overtime is worked:
|
Overtime worked on |
Full-time and part-time employees | Casual employees (includes casual loading) |
|
% of minimum hourly rate |
||
|
Monday to Saturday—first 2 hours |
150% | 175% |
|
Monday to Saturday—after 2 hours |
200% | 225% |
| Sunday all day | 200% |
225% |
| Public holiday all day | 250% |
275% |
Penalty rates
When an employee works ordinary hours on the following days, they are entitled to the following penalty rates.
|
Full-time adult employees |
Part-time adult employees | |
|
% of minimum hourly rate |
||
|
Day |
100% |
115% |
| Early morning, afternoon and non-permanent night shift | 115% | 130% |
|
Permanent night |
130% | 130% |
| Saturday | 150% |
165% |
| Sunday | 200% |
215% |
| Public holiday | 250% |
265% |
Allowance
|
Description |
Clause |
Amount |
|
Allowance |
||
|
Broken shift allowance |
17.2(b) | $4.19 per day |
|
17.2(c) |
$20.95 per week | |
| Cold work allowance | 17.3(a) |
$0.61 per hour |
| Hot work allowance—46°C to 54°C | 17.4(a) |
$0.61 per hour |
|
Hot work allowance—over 54°C |
17.4(b) | $0.74 per hour |
| Height allowance—up to and including 22nd floor | 17.5(b)(i) |
$0.99per hour or part thereof |
|
Height allowance—above 22nd floor |
17.5(b)(ii) | $2.02per hour or part thereof |
|
First aid allowance |
17.6(b) |
$15.00 per week |
| Leading hand in charge of—1 to 10 employees | 17.7(b) |
$54.88 per week |
|
Leading hand in charge of—11 to 20 employees |
17.7(b) | $70.61 per week |
|
Leading hand in charge of—more than 20 employees |
17.7(b) | $86.35 per week |
|
Refuse collection allowance |
17.8(b) |
$4.17 per shift |
| Toilet cleaning allowance—per shift; or | 17.9 |
$3.28 per shift |
|
Toilet cleaning allowance—per week |
17.9 | $16.15 per week |
|
Expense-related allowances |
||
|
Meal allowance |
17.10 |
$15.40 per occasion |
| Vehicle allowance—Motor vehicle | 17.11(a) |
$0.96 per km |
| Vehicle allowance—Motorcycle | 17.11(b) |
$0.32 per km |
How is the leave managed in the Cleaning Services Award?
In the Cleaning Services Award, leave entitlements for employees are determined by the National Employment Standards (NES) and the classification of the employee.
Annual Leave
Annual leave is provided for in the NES. It does not apply to casual employees.
- An employee who is not a shiftworker is entitled to 5 weeks of paid annual leave for each year of service with their employer.
- An employee who is a shiftworker is entitled to 6 weeks of paid annual leave for each year of service with their employer. (To be considered a shiftworker, an employee must be regularly rostered over 7 days of the week and regularly work on weekends.)
During a period of paid annual leave, an employer must pay an employee an additional payment for the employee’s ordinary hours of work. The additional payment is payable on leave accrued.
For an employee who would have worked on day work only or worked on shiftwork had they not been on leave, the additional payment is the greater of:
- An employee (other than a shiftworker) will be paid an annual leave loading of 17.5% of their ordinary pay on a maximum of 152 hours/4 weeks’ annual leave per annum
- Shiftworkers will be paid the higher of an annual leave loading of 17.5% of ordinary pay or the weekend and shift penalties they would have received had they not been on leave during the relevant period.
Personal Leave
Casual employees are entitled to be absent from work to care for a person who requires care or support because of:
- illness or an injury;or
- an emergency
but they’re not entitled to be paid for time away from work.
Public holidays
An employer must pay an employee who works on a public holiday or on a day that is substituted for a public holiday at the public holiday penalty rate set out in penalty rates.
- For a full-time and part-time employee, 200% of the minimum hourly rate applicable to their classification and pay point.
- For a casual employee, 200% of the casual hourly rate.
How to keep in compliance with the Cleaning Services Award？
To comply with the Cleaning Services Award in Australia, businesses in the contract cleaning services industry can follow:
|
Minimum wage |
Employers must pay their employees at least the minimum wage set by the Fair Work Commission. |
|
Superannuation |
Employers are obligated to make superannuation contributions on behalf of their eligible employees, which includes calculating and paying the correct amount on time. |
| Taxation |
Businesses must accurately calculate and withhold income tax from employee wages, regularly passing the amount to the ATO. |
| Record-keeping |
Employers are required to maintain comprehensive records relating to employee pay, taxes, superannuation and entitlements |
How can Workstem assist you?
Workstem is a one-stop payroll & HR platform with an award interpretation module and customised attendance formulas that ensure Cleaning Services employers stay compliant with Fair Work regulations. The platform simplifies HR processes, reduces administrative burdens, and offers a user-friendly interface for small businesses and large enterprises alike.
Experience the benefits of Workstem for yourself!
