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.
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 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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