Storage Services and Wholesale Award
Covers warehousing, distribution centres, cold storage, steel distribution, paint manufacturer stores, and the wholesale industry — receiving, handling, storing, packing, sorting, dispatching, delivering, or selling produce/goods/merchandise by wholesale. 12 source classifications consolidated into 6 codes (Storeworker grade 1-4 with G1 service tiers + Wholesale employee level 1-4 share the same rate scale). Standard rate is Storeworker grade 4 ($1,074.30/wk). Distinctive features: casual minimum engagement is 4 hours; casual loading IS applied to overtime; cold work allowance has 3 temperature tiers; Sun/PH travel time at 150%; 26-week accident pay; AL pay 'greater of' rule (loading vs weekend penalty vs shift penalty); shutdown notice 1 month; call-back has separate first-vs-subsequent Sunday treatment.
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.
What's built
- All 6 cl 15.1 classifications at correct July 2025 figures (Storeworker G1 three service tiers $982.40/$994.40/$1,005.70 + G2-G4 $1,014.60/$1,043.50/$1,074.30; Wholesale L1-L4 anchored to same rates).
- Junior rates (cl 15.2) — under-16 40%, 16=50%, 17=60%, 18=70%, 19+ adult — seeded as AwardRate dimensional rows on G1 anchor classifications.
- Cold work allowance — 3 temperature tiers (cl 17.2(b)): -15.6°C to -18.9°C $1.07/hr, less than -18.9 to -23.3°C $1.61/hr, less than -23.3°C $2.15/hr. Distinctive temperature ranges (not single thresholds).
- Damaged personal effects allowance (cl 17.3(e)) — $1,167 max for dentures and prescription spectacles damaged in course of ordinary duties. Distinctive — most awards don't have a dentures/spectacles cap.
- Sun/PH travel time at 150% (cl 17.3(b)(ii)) — distinctive premium for travel to away-job on Sun/PH; Mon-Sat travel time at ord rate.
- 11 expense allowances seeded incl meal-OT $21.44, vehicle $0.98/km, tools reimbursement, paint store / crate-lifting overalls, special uniform, dirty/wet/obnoxious protective clothing.
- FT/PT penalty rates: Sat 150%, Sun 200%, PH 250% with 4-hour minimum; OT FT/PT 150% first 2hrs / 200% after; OT casual 175% first 2hrs / 225% after (casual loading applied — distinctive D3).
- Sat/Sun/PH OT minimum payments (D13): Sat OT min 3 hrs, Sun OT min 4 hrs, PH OT min 4 hrs.
- Shift loadings — early morning 112.5% (commencing 2am-7am), afternoon 115% (finishing after 6pm at/before midnight), night 130% (finishing after midnight at/before 8.30am).
- Shiftworker Sat/Sun ord substitutes shift loading (cl 20.3(d)/(e)/(f)) — non-cumulative; shiftworker PH ord paid per cl 22.3 instead of shift loading.
- Call-back distinctive structure (cl 23 — D14): Mon-Fri min 4hrs, Sat after 12pm min 4hrs at 200%, Sun first call min 4hrs at 200% with subsequent calls 200% for actual time worked.
- RDO system (cl 13.4) max 13 RDOs/year on 4-week cycle, 4 weeks notice; higher duties 3-tier rule incl >20 hrs/week = full week's pay (cl 15.3 — D5); 26-week accident pay (cl 18); AL 'greater of' rule (cl 24.3(b) — D15); shutdown notice 1 month (cl 24.5(b) — D16); 4 default super funds per cl 19.4 (PR794778 ppc 23 Jan 2026): AustralianSuper, Australian Retirement Trust, CareSuper, REST.
Known limitations
- 12 source classifications (Storeworker G1-4 + Wholesale L1-4 with G1/L1 three service tiers) consolidated into 6 codes. Same rate scale either way; operational/HR judgment determines whether to assign 'Storeworker' or 'Wholesale' naming for a given role.
- Higher duties weekly rule (>20 hrs/week = full week's pay per cl 15.3(a)(iii) — D5) requires the payroll engine to compute weekly aggregate of higher-duty hours and apply the floor.
- AL pay 'greater of' rule (cl 24.3(b) — D15) requires the engine to compute three values per pay period (17.5% loading, weekend penalty rates earned, shift penalty rates earned) and pay the highest.
- Sunday call-back distinction (first call min 4 hrs at 200%, subsequent calls 200% for actual time only — cl 23.3) requires engine to track call-back occurrence count per Sunday.
- Cold work tier selection requires real-time temperature measurement — operational system must determine which of the 3 tiers applies based on actual temperature at time of work.
- Damaged personal effects allowance (cl 17.3(e) — $1,167 cap) requires operational validation that damage qualifies (course of ordinary duties, not negligence) plus workers comp interaction (repay if fully covered).
- RDO system max 13/year (cl 13.4(a) — D4) is an operational/HR check; schema can't natively express the rolling annual cap.
Setup & special instructions
- Casual employees are guaranteed 4 HOURS engagement every start (cl 11.1 — D2) — distinctive vs typical 2-3 hrs. Don't pay less than 4 hrs even for shorter work.
- Casual employees DO get the 25% loading applied to OT (cl 11.3 + cl 21.1(d) — D3) — casual OT 175% first 2hrs / 225% after / 225% Sun/PH / 225% fail-to-rest. Distinctive vs most awards which exclude casual loading from OT.
- Higher duties >20 hrs/week = full WEEK's pay at higher rate (cl 15.3(a)(iii) — D5). Most awards stop at the daily rule; payroll engine must aggregate weekly.
- Shutdown notice is 1 MONTH (cl 24.5(b) — D16), NOT 28 days like most awards.
- Shiftworkers working ord on Sat/Sun get 150%/200% which SUBSTITUTES the shift loading (cl 20.3(d)/(e)/(f)) — non-cumulative. Shiftworker PH ord paid per cl 22.3 (250% with 4-hour min) instead of shift loading.
- Sat/Sun/PH overtime minimum payments: Sat OT min 3 hrs, Sun OT min 4 hrs, PH OT min 4 hrs (cl 22.1(b)/22.2(b)/22.3(b)).
- Sunday call-back: first call min 4 hrs at 200%; SUBSEQUENT calls 200% for actual time only (cl 23.3). Engine must track call-back count per Sunday.
- Storeworker G1-G4 codes also represent Wholesale L1-L4 (same rate scale, different role definitions per Schedule A.5-A.8). Configuration flag noted; assign whichever naming fits the role.
- • Storage services
- • Wholesale
- • Warehousing
- • Distribution centres
- • Cold storage
- • Steel distribution
- • Paint manufacturer stores
- • Order fulfilment
- • Stock handling
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 storage & wholesale 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.
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