From the first pay period on or after 28 April 2022, there is a new minimum wage guarantee and new record keeping requirements for pieceworkers under the Horticulture Award.
Summary of changes to the Horticulture Award
New piece rate rules
Under the Horticulture Award, full-time, part-time or casual employees can be paid a piece rate for performing a task. The piece rate has to allow for the average competent worker to earn the equivalent of at least 15% above the minimum hourly rate for the employee’s classification. For casuals, the minimum hourly rate includes the casual loading.
There are also new definitions covering competent pieceworkers, minimum hourly rate for a pieceworker, and the average productivity of a competent pieceworker.
Minimum wage guarantee
From the first pay period on or after 28 April 2022, workers paid a piece rate are guaranteed a minimum wage for each day that they work. This is called a ‘minimum wage guarantee’. Affected pieceworkers have to be paid a minimum amount for the hours that they work each day. This change applies to full-time, part-time and casual employees.
New record-keeping obligations
Employers have new record-keeping obligations for pieceworkers, including that they record the hours worked by a pieceworker and the piece rates applied.
