Closing over Christmas? New Shutdown rules for Awards - what employer's need to know!

What's changed?

From?1 May 2023, 78 Modern Awards will be changed to include new rules relating to taking annual leave and unpaid leave during a workplace shutdown, such as over a Christmas period.? Under the new terms, if an employee has not accrued sufficient annual leave to cover the the shutdown period, you can no longer unilaterally direct an employee to take leave without pay.

What does this mean in practice?

If your employee doesn’t have enough accrued annual leave, and doesn’t agree to take unpaid leave during a shutdown period, the employer will be required to:

• find work for the employee during the shutdown period;
• pay the employee for the shutdown period; or
• agree for the employee to take paid annual leave in advance as per the “annual leave in advance” term contained in each modern award.

How much notice of a shutdown do I need to give?

Employers must provide at least 28 days’ written notice of the temporary shutdown period (or a longer period if the term preserves an Award’s existing longer period of notice) and the notice must also be in writing.

What should employers do?

1. Find out if the Award changes affect your employees.
2. Review current procedures or practices and update them to reflect the changes.
3. Decide whether you are going manage annual leave requests through the year to ensure everyone has sufficient leave for the shutdown.
4. Update any payroll processes to ensure employees can access leave in advance, if you are going to allow that option.
5. CONTACT US?to understand the implications of these changes and get advice on the best process to put in place for your business

Which Awards are affected?

The full list of Awards that are affected are:

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. 16. Cemetery Industry Award 2020?(clause 19.3)
17. 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. 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)

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First published on www.revolutionconsultinggroup.com.au blog on 6/4/23.