Electrical Award Guide [MA000025]

Electrical Award Guide [MA000025]

Table of content

  1. What is the Electrical Award??
  2. Who is covered by the Electrical Award?
  3. How are the hours of work arranged in the Electrical Award?
  4. How are wages and allowances calculated in the Electrical Award?
  5. How is the leave managed in the Electrical Award?
  6. How can Workstem assist you?

This article provides guidelines on the electrical award package. For more information on this award, please refer to the electrical award.

What is the Electrical Award??

The Electrical Award, is a set of legal minimum employment standards and conditions that apply to employees working in the electrical industry in Australia.

The award sets out the minimum wage rates, working hours, overtime, annual leave, sick leave, and other entitlements for employees working in various roles within the electrical industry, such as electrical, electronic or communications contractors,trades assistants and laborers,alarm and security technicians,electricians,linespersons and cable jointers.The award is designed to ensure that employees in the electrical industry are treated fairly and receive reasonable pay and conditions for their work.

Who is covered by the Electrical Award?

Coverage

The Electrical Award covers electrical, electronic or communications contractors who provide electrical services, and their employees who fit the classifications within the award.

Contractors means businesses who provide electrical services by contract.

Electrical services includes:

  • maintaining electrical power distribution lines and associated work
  • installing electrical light and power
  • assembling, installing, wiring, servicing, repairing and maintaining electrical installations and appliances

Examples of employers and employees covered by the Electrical Award include:

  • electrical, electronic or communications contractors
  • trades assistants and laborers
  • alarm and security technicians
  • electricians
  • apprentice electricians
  • employees who service electronics and appliances
  • linespersons and cable jointers
  • refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic contractors (not part of a building project)
  • purchasing clerks/storepersons
  • arborists (if employed by an electrical business and clearing vegetation near overhead power lines)
  • insulation installers (when it isn’t part of a building project)
  • employees connecting solar panels to an electrical switchboard.

The Electrical Award also covers labor hire businesses and their employees who are placed with an organization in the electrical services contracting industry.

The following employers and employees are not covered by the Electrical Award:

  • clerical and administrative employees
  • employers mainly in the business of manufacturing and supplying plant or equipment for high or low tension power stations or substations that generate or transmit electrical power
  • electrical work on a building site that is done by an employee employed by a business in the onsite building and construction industry
  • plant manufacturing and vending (where it is the primary purpose of the business).

How are the hours of work arranged in the Electrical Award?

Ordinary hours of work

The ordinary hours of work will be 6.00 am to 6.00 pm, provided that:

  • the usual starting and finishing time within the spread of hours may not be varied except by agreement of the employer and individual employee or the majority of the employees concerned;
  •  and the spread of hours may be altered as to all or a section of the employees by agreement of the employer and individual employee or the majority of the employees.

Breaks

Meal breaks

  •   An employee, other than a shiftworker, is entitled to an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes after every 6 hours worked.
  •  A shiftworker is entitled to a paid meal break of 20 minutes per shift..
  • The timing of meal breaks will be at the discretion of the employer. Provided that an employee (other than a shiftworker) must not be compelled to work for more than 6 hours without a break for a meal. Where possible the normal meal break should be as near as practicable to the middle of the period of duty or shift.

Rest breaks during overtime

  • An employee must be allowed a paid rest break of 20 minutes after each 4 hours of overtime worked, if the employee is required to continue work after the rest break. Provided that where a day worker on a 5 day week is required to work overtime on a Saturday, the first prescribed rest break, if occurring between 10.00 am and 1.00 pm, must be paid at the ordinary hourly rate.

How are wages and allowances calculated in the Electrical Award?

Minimum rates and Classifications

Classification level

Minimum weekly rate

(full-time employee)

Minimum hourly rate

$ $
Electrical worker grade 1 871.20

22.93

Electrical worker grade 2

900.70

23.70

Electrical worker grade 3

930.70 24.49

Electrical worker grade 4

960.70

25.28

Electrical worker grade 5 995.00

26.18

Electrical worker grade 6

1026.20 27.01

Electrical worker grade 7

1085.60 28.57
Electrical worker grade 8 1140.70

30.02

Electrical worker grade 9

1164.10

30.63

Electrical worker grade 10 1257.90

 Overtime

For overtime worked

Overtime rate Full-time and part-time employees ( % ordinary hourly rate) Overtime rate Casual employees (% of ordinary hourly rate)
Monday to Saturday—first 2 hours 150% 187.5%
Monday to Saturday—after first 2 hours 200%

250%

Sunday

200% 250%
Public Holiday 250%

312.5%

Allowance

Allowances 

Rate

Apprentice training fees and textbook costs reimbursement

reimbursement of training fees for prescribed courses and the cost  of prescribed textbooks

Apprentice travel to block release training reimbursement

reimbursement for the excess reasonable travel costs incurred in  the course of travelling to and from the training

Availability for duty allowance

$2.30 per hour up to a maximum of $87.56 per week

* Electrical distribution line maintenance and tree clearing allowance

$76.62 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – electrical mechanic (already included in the  rate tables above)

$35.82 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 1st year junior apprentice – started before 1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$14.33 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 1st year junior apprentice – started on or after  1/1/14 – did not complete year 12 (already included in the rate tables above)

$17.91 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 1st year junior apprentice – started on or after  1/1/14 – completed year 12 (already included in the rate tables above)

$19.70 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 1st year adult apprentice – started before  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$14.33 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 1st year adult apprentice – started on or after  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$28.66 per week
* Electrician’s licence allowance – 2nd year junior apprentice – started before  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$18.63 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 2nd year junior apprentice – started on or after  1/1/14 – did not complete year 12 (already included in the rate tables above)

$21.49 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 2nd year junior apprentice – started on or after  1/1/14 – completed year 12 (already included in the rate tables above)

$23.28 per week
* Electrician’s licence allowance – 2nd year adult apprentice – started before  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$18.63 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 2nd year adult apprentice – started on or after  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$31.16 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 3rd year junior apprentice (already included in  the rate tables above)

$25.07 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 3rd year adult apprentice – started before  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$25.07 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 3rd year adult apprentice – started on or after  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$31.16 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 4th year junior apprentice (already included in  the rate tables above)

$29.37 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 4th year adult apprentice – started before  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$29.37 per week

* Electrician’s licence allowance – 4th year adult apprentice – started on or after  1/1/14 (already included in the rate tables above)

$31.16 per week

First aid allowance

$0.55 per hour up to a maximum of $20.90 per week

* Industry allowance (already included in the rate tables above)

$36.82 per week

* Industry allowance – 1st year junior apprentice – started before 1/1/14 (already  included in the rate tables above)

$14.73 per week

* Industry allowance – 1st year junior apprentice – started on or after 1/1/14 – did  not complete year 12 (already included in the rate tables above)

$18.41 per week

* Industry allowance – 1st year junior apprentice – started on or after 1/1/14 – completed year 12 (already included in the rate tables above)

$20.25 per week

* Industry allowance – 1st year adult apprentice – started before 1/1/14 (already  included in the rate tables above)

$14.73 per week
* Industry allowance – 1st year adult apprentice – started on or after 1/1/14  (already included in the rate tables above)

$29.46 per week

* Industry allowance – 2nd year junior apprentice – started before 1/1/14 (already  included in the rate tables above)

$19.15 per week

* Industry allowance – 2nd year junior apprentice – started on or after 1/1/14 – did  not complete year 12 (already included in the rate tables above)

$22.09 per week

* Industry allowance – 2nd year junior apprentice – started on or after 1/1/14 – completed year 12 (already included in the rate tables above)

$23.93 per week
* Industry allowance – 2nd year adult apprentice – started before 1/1/14 (already  included in the rate tables above)

$19.15 per week

* Industry allowance – 2nd year adult apprentice – started on or after 1/1/14  (already included in the rate tables above)

$32.03 per week

* Industry allowance – 3rd year junior apprentice (already included in the rate  tables above)

$25.77 per week

* Industry allowance – 3rd year adult apprentice – started before 1/1/14 (already  included in the rate tables above)

$25.77 per week

* Industry allowance – 3rd year adult apprentice – started on or after 1/1/14  (already included in the rate tables above)

$32.03 per week
* Industry allowance – 4th year junior apprentice (already included in the rate  tables above)

$30.19 per week

* Industry allowance – 4th year adult apprentice – started before 1/1/14 (already  included in the rate tables above)

$30.19 per week

* Industry allowance – 4th year adult apprentice – started on or after 1/1/14  (already included in the rate tables above)

$32.03 per week

How is the leave managed in the Electrical Award?

In the electrical award, leave entitlements for employees are determined by the National Employment Standards (NES) and the classification of the employee.

Annual leave

All annual leave is per the National Employment Standards NES. Employees are entitled to 4 weeks paid leave per year, plus an additional week for some shift workers.

 Conversion to hourly entitlement:

  • For the purpose of the additional week of annual leave provided for in the NES, a shiftworker is a 7 day shiftworker who is regularly rostered to work on Sundays and public holidays.

Public holidays

Employees are entitled to public holidays in accordance with Division 10 of the  NES, except that the rate of pay for public holidays will be the ordinary hourly rate.

  •  An employer and employee may agree to substitute another day for a day that would otherwise be a public holiday under the NES.
  • An employer and employee may agree to substitute another part-day for a part-day that would otherwise be a part-day public holiday under the NES.

How can Workstem assist you?

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Choose between our Standard and Advanced plans, and enjoy a range of benefits such as Fair Work compliance, an employee self-service App, and customised rule set.

Book a free demo with our payroll experts. Experience the efficiency and accuracy of Workstem today!

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