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Award changes for horticultural workers

​On 2 April 2019, the Fair Work Commission handed down a decision to change the Horticulture Award.

The decision altered the Horticulture Award for casual employees to include ordinary hours of work, a night loading, and overtime entitlements. It also clarified the penalty rate for working on public holidays for casual employees.

With the new policy implemented just 2 weeks later, it’s important that any employers in the Horticulture sector swiftly adjust their processes to the changes quickly. If you haven’t adjusted from April 15th, there is a chance you may not be compliant and at risk of various penalties.

What does that mean for you?

Casual employees now receive overtime when they work 304 hours in an eight-week period (an average 38 hours per week), or when working more than 12 hours in a single shift.
They’ll also receive a 15% 'Night Loading' when working between 8:31pm and 4.59am. In addition to this, they'll also receive 225% when they work on a Public Holiday.

Labour Solutions Australia has farmers covered.

Horticulture, agriculture and seasonal work is a core component of our business. We have the people and structure in place to ensure that your workers are paid correctly, and on time.
Implementing changes like this can be challenging at best for businesses – especially on short notice, but with more than 15 years of experience, LSA are ready for any industry changes that come through the pipeline.

This means you can spend your day concentrating on your harvest and maximising output, while we take care of the fiddly details.

The changes apply from the first full pay period on or after 15 April 2019, and the determination is available here.