Poultry Processing Award
Covers the poultry processing industry - distinct from the Meat Industry Award (MA000059) and the Manufacturing Award (MA000010). 6 simple Process Employee classifications (Levels 1-6, no streams), no apprenticeships, only two junior age bands (under-17 / 17), and a 3-tier cold-work allowance keyed to freezer / chiller temperature - the industry's defining provision. Standard rate is Level 2.
Fully built. Rates, allowances, penalties and any required apprentice / junior rates are all wired to the rate resolver and have been verified against the consolidated award text and the latest pay guide.
Official Fair Work rates. This award’s minimum pay rates are synced directly from the Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database and updated automatically when the Commission changes them - including the annual wage review - so payroll always uses the current legal minimums without a manual update.
What's built
- All 6 Process Employee classifications at the July 2025 figures.
- Junior rates: under-17 (70%), 17 (80%), 18+ as adult.
- All 8 cl. 17.2 / Schedule C.1 allowances - two leading-hand tiers (1-19 and 20+ employees, all-purpose, 152% / 254% of standard), three cold-work tiers (-15.6 to -18°C / -18 to -23.3°C / below -23.3°C at 3.7% / 6.5% / 10.2% of standard), first-aid (83.2% of standard = $21.41/wk), meal-OT and vehicle.
- Wage-related allowances expressed as percentages of the standard rate (Schedule C.1.2 confirms automatic adjustment when standard rate varies).
- 12 penalty rows including 4 shift, 2 weekend, 1 PH, 4 overtime and 1 rest-breach.
Known limitations
No outstanding gaps at this revision - re-verify on the next Fair Work pay-guide release.
Setup & special instructions
- There are no apprenticeships in poultry processing. Don't try to assign an apprentice variant.
- Cold-work allowance is only payable when the employee works MORE THAN 1 hour in a place where the temperature is reduced by artificial means (cl. 17.2(c)). Paid per hour or part thereof above the threshold.
- Leading-hand allowances (1-19 and 20+ employees) are all-purpose - they fold into the ordinary hourly rate when assigned.
- • Poultry processing
- • Food processing
- • Cold-work environments
The consolidated award text is the authoritative source. Always confirm specific obligations against the award itself - Mployr's implementation status reflects what we've seeded; it does not replace legal advice.
Want to see this award running on your data?
We can demo a pay run on the poultry processing award using sample employees in a sandbox tenant - including any of the special-instruction steps above so you can see exactly what your team's day-to-day looks like.
Book a demo