Announcing Award variations to 78 Modern Awards – effective 1 May 2023.

The full decision of the Fair Work Commission can be reached here. 

The Fair Work Commission, while conducting their 4-yearly review of Modern Awards, have released a decision to vary 78 Modern Awards, releasing the provisions to be inserted into said Awards regarding employer directions to take annual leave, during closed or shutdown periods.

Scroll to the bottom of this update to find the full list of 78 Modern Awards impacted.

This impacts all employers with employees covered by the 78 Modern Awards, effective immediately, for any period the employer closes down their operations, or part of their operations, temporarily. This includes:

• End of year, or Christmas period closures;
• School holiday closures;
• Mid-year or seasonal closures for specific employers.

Some of the effects of the varied terms include (subject to some exceptions):

• Any mechanism that directs an employee to take leave without pay during a temporary shutdown period has been removed;
• Employers must now provide at least 28 days’ written notice of the temporary shutdown period;
• Employees can now only take paid annual leave in accordance with a direction under the shutdown term;
• The employer and employee to agree, in writing, to take unpaid leave during a shutdown period once an employee’s paid annual leave has been exhausted;
• Where an employee has not accrued enough paid annual leave to cover the period of the shutdown, the employee may take paid annual leave in advance of accruing the entitlement in accordance with the existing “annual leave in advance” term contained in each modern award.

As these updates are effective 1 May 2023, employers must now review your current procedures, annual leave and shutdown policies, and payroll systems that govern annual shutdowns to reflect these changes.

As always, reach out whenever you need assistance with the ever changing landscape.

78 Modern Awards Varied (the full list):

1.  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Award 2020 (clause 22.3)
2.  Aircraft Cabin Crew Award 2020 (clause 19.4)
3.  Airline Operations–Ground Staff Award 2020 (clause 22.6)
4.  Alpine Resorts Award 2020 (clause 25.3)
5.  Aluminium Industry Award 2020 (clause 22.4)
6.  Ambulance and Patient Transport Industry Award 2020 (clause 22.7)
7.  Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020 (clause 22.5)
8.  Aquaculture Industry Award 2020 (clause 22.9)
9.  Asphalt Industry Award 2020 (clause 21.8)
10.  Banking, Finance and Insurance Award 2020 (clause 22.5)
11.  Black Coal Mining Industry Award 2020 (clause 24.9)
12.  Broadcasting and Recorded Entertainment Award 2020 (clause 18.6)
13.  Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (clause 31.3)
14.  Business Equipment Award 2020 (clause 23.5)
15.  Car Parking Award 2020 (clause 24.6)
16.  Cemetery Industry Award 2020 (clause 19.3)
17.  Cement, Lime and Quarrying Award 2020 (clause 22.8)
18.  Cleaning Services Award 2020 (clause 21.4)
19.  Clerks—Private Sector Award 2020 (clause 32.5)
20.  Coal Export Terminals Award 2020 (clause 20.7)
21.  Commercial Sales Award 2020 (clause 20.6)
22.  Concrete Products Award 2020 (clause 22.6)
23.  Contract Call Centres Award 2020 (clause 22.10)
24.  Educational Services (Post-Secondary Education) Award 2020 (clause 22.5)
25.  Electrical Power Industry Award 2020 (clause 21.8)
26.  Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 (clause 21.5)
27.  Fitness Industry Award 2020 (clause 21.3)
28.  Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award 2020 (clause 25.11)
29.  Gardening and Landscaping Services Award 2020 (clause 20.9)
30.  Gas Industry Award 2020 (clause 20.7)
31.  General Retail Industry Award 2020 (clause 28.4)
32.  Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2020 (clause 31.12)
33.  Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 (clause 24.3)
34.  Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 (clause 26.5)
35.  Higher Education Industry—General Staff—Award 2020 (clause 24.4)
36.  Horse and Greyhound Training Award 2020 (clause 18.6)
37.  Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 (clause 30.4)
38.  Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award 2020 (clause 25.7)
39.  Joinery and Building Trades Award 2020 (clause 27.9)
40.  Journalists Published Media Award 2020 (clause 20.8)
41.  Legal Services Award 2020 (clause 22.7)
42.  Local Government Industry Award 2020 (clause 23.5)
43.  Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 (clause 34.7)
44.  Meat Industry Award 2020 (clause 25.8)
45.  Mining Industry Award 2020 (clause 22.7)
46.  Mobile Crane Hiring Award 2020 (clause 24.6)
47.  Miscellaneous Award 2020 (clause 21.4)
48.  Nursery Award 2020 (clause 22.12)
49.  Nurses Award 2020 (clause 22.7)
50.  Oil Refining and Manufacturing Award 2020 (clause 24.6)
51.  Pest Control Industry Award 2020 (clause 23.9)
52.  Pharmaceutical Industry Award 2020 (clause 21.5)
53.  Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award 2020 (clause 24.4)
54.  Poultry Processing Award 2020 (clause 21.5)
55.  Premixed Concrete Award 2020 (clause 22.8)
56.  Professional Employees Award 2020 (clause 18.4)
57.  Racing Clubs Events Award 2020 (clause 23.5)
58.  Racing Industry Ground Maintenance Award 2020 (clause 21.5)
59.  Real Estate Industry Award 2020 (clause 20.5(a))
60.  Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2020 (clause 25.4)
61.  Restaurant Industry Award 2020 (clause 25.4)
62.  Road Transport (Long Distance Operations) Award 2020 (clause 20.4)
63.  Road Transport and Distribution Award 2020 (clause 24.9)
64.  Salt Industry Award 2020 (clause 23.10)
65.  Seafood Processing Award 2020 (clause 21.11)
66.  Security Services Industry Award 2020 (clause 21.4)
67.  Silviculture Award 2020 (clause 22.5)
68.  Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 (clause 24.5)
69.  Sugar Industry Award 2020 (clause 31.5)
70.  Supported Employment Services Award 2020 (clause 32.3)
71.  Surveying Award 2020 (clause 22.7)
72.  Telecommunications Services Award 2020 (clause 22.9)
73.  Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Associated Industries Award 2020 (clause 32.6)
74.  Timber Industry Award 2020 (clause 28.10)
75.  Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award 2020 (clause 29.6)
76.  Water Industry Award 2020 (clause 22.4)
77.  Wine Industry Award 2020 (clause 24.9)
78.  Wool Storage, Sampling and Testing Award 2020 (clause 23.5)