For employees not covered by an employment award, changes implemented in the Miscellaneous Award 2020 from 1 July may have a considerable impact.
The coverage of the Miscellaneous Award was previously limited to those who were in an industry that had a modern award but did not suit any of their roles/classifications specified. Now that this particular provision has been omitted from the award, employees who are now considered award-free may actually be covered by the Miscellaneous Award.
In terms of coverage, the award continues to exclude professional and managerial staff such as accountants, human resource managers, marketing professionals and lawyers, for example. It now however, covers such professions as draftspersons, interior designers and site supervisors.
Penalty rates, hours of work and minimum wages as per the award will need to be observed by employers for their newly-award covered employees. Further, it is important to note that these changes are not retrospective; they only apply from after 1 July 2020.
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