The article provides guidelines for using the pre-built Pharmaceutical Industry Award package. For further information about this industry award, refer to Pharmaceutical Industry Award 2020.
Key updates
Select the current financial year tab to see award updates for the 2026/27 financial year, while all previous updates before this time you can find in the historical financial years tab.
1st
We have updated the award to reflect the Fair Work Commission's National Minimum Wage increase detailed in the Annual Wage Review 2026 decision, and also includes updates to expense-related allowances. You can find more information on the Determinations here and here.
These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after the 1st July 2026. Please install these updates after you have finalised your last pay run before the first full pay period beginning on or after the 1st July 2026.
10th
We have updated the award to pay the First aid allowance on a weekly basis instead of hourly. The allowance rate has been adjusted in the corresponding pay rate templates to reflect the weekly amounts as specified in the latest pay guide.
6th
We have introduced a new suite of configurations for Salaried Employment Agreements to allow the employers to manage the salaried employees, who are under Individual flexibility arrangements, directly within the award instead of having to remove them.
This introduction, which is an enhancement rather than a legislative update requirement, includes the items below if they do not already exist within an award:
- Pay Categories (Salary and Salary - Public Holiday Not Worked).
- Leave Allowance Templates for “No loading” and “With loading”.
- Rule Set to disregard timesheets.
- Pay Rate Templates.
- Employment Agreements for all employee types (full-time, part-time, and casual).
For detailed information on the changes, please refer to our guide here.
We have also renamed all leave allowance templates by adding the award code as a prefix. This ensures each template can be accurately associated with its respective award, particularly in cases where template names are identical.
1st
We have updated the award to reflect the Fair Work Commission's National Minimum Wage increase detailed in the Annual Wage Review 2024-25 decision and also includes updates to expense-related allowances. You can find more information on the Determinations here and here.
These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after the 1st July 2025. Please install these updates after you have finalised your last pay run before the first full pay period beginning on or after the 1st July 2025.
1st
We have updated the award to reflect the Fair Work Commission's National Minimum Wage increase detailed in the Annual Wage Review 2023-24 decision and also includes updates to expense-related allowances. You can find more information on the Determinations here and here.
These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after the 1st July 2024. Please install these updates after you have finalised your last pay run before the first full pay period beginning on or after the 1st July 2024.
We have also updated the "Community Service Leave Taken" pay category, where it does not accrue super.
4th
We have updated the penalty loading for the Casual - Public Holiday as per clauses 26 and 19.4.
Installing the pre-built award package
To read details on how to install and configure this Pre-built Award Template, please review the following article. Before relying on the award information, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness, and relevance for their purposes. You should also obtain appropriate professional advice.
The award default Rule Set Period is set to Weekly that ends every Sunday. If you follow a different work pattern or roster period, you can review and set the rule-set period date that applies to your organisation.
Conditions of pay
Work Conditions
| Clause | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Leave Loading. | 21.3(e) |
17.5% Day worker, a loading of 17.5% calculated on the wages set out in clause 21.3(d). An employee who have worked on shift work had they not been on leave, the greater of:
|
| Auto meal breaks. | 14.1(a). | Unpaid meal breaks within 5.5 hours of work. |
| Clause | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Duties | 15.5(a) |
|
| Clause | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum shift engagement. |
10.4 11.3 19.2 |
Minimum of three hours per occasion for part-time employees. Minimum of two hours per occasion for casual employees. Minimum of three hours on Saturday and Sunday. |
Penalties
| Clause | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| Public Holidays. | 19.2. | 150% penalty. |
| Clause | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| Shiftwork. | 20.1. |
|
| Weekends. | 19.2. |
Saturday: First 2 hours at 50% penalty, then 100% penalty thereafter Sunday: 100% penalty |
| Worked on RDO. | 19.2. | Paid at 150% |
Ordinary hours of work and overtime
| Clause | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum hours per day. |
13.3(d) 19.2 |
Eight hours per day for shift workers. Eight hours per day for day workers. |
| Maximum hours over a period. | 13.2(a). |
Average 38 hours per week. Alternative work patterns:
|
| Ordinary hours or work. | 3.2 (d) | 7:45am - 5:15pm, Monday to Friday. |
| Overtime. |
11.2 19.2 |
Day workers after daily engagement receive overtime for first 2 hours at 50%, then 100% thereafter Shift workers after daily engagement receive overtime for first 3 hours at 50%, then 100% thereafter All other overtime Monday - Friday: First 2 hours at 50%, then 100% thereafter |
| RDO. | 19.2 | RDO Worked: paid at 150% |
| Clause | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| TIL. | 19.2 | The period of time off that an employee is entitled to take is the same as the number of overtime hours worked |
Work types
Work types are a description of the kind of shift you are working, and you select them when you record a timesheet. The following is a list of work types employees can select on their timesheet, and the meaning of each item.
| Annual leave taken. | Choose this work type when annual leave is taken. |
| Chlorpromazine hydrochloride Allowance. | Choose this work type when the employee is engaged in granulating and/or tableting and/or coating chlorpromazine hydrochloride or compounding chlorpromazine hydrochloride solution. |
| Compassionate Leave Taken. | Choose this work type when compassionate leave is taken. |
| Dust Mask Allowance. | Choose this work type when the employee is required to work in areas other than sterile areas, which require the continued wearing of a dust mask. |
| Gentian violet and similar substances Allowance. | Choose this work type when the employee is engaged in processing and/or repacking in bulk Gentian Violet, Methylene Blue, Acriflavine, or similar substances. |
| Leave Without Pay Taken. | Choose this work type when any unpaid leave is taken.. |
| Long Service Leave Taken. | Choose this work type when long-service leave is taken. |
| Meal Allowance- OT not Worked. | Choose this work type when the employee was notified the previous day of the need to work overtime, and the overtime is then not actually worked. |
| No Break Taken. | Choose this work type when no break is taken. |
| Paid Community Service Leave Taken. | Choose this work type when paid community service leave is taken. |
| Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave Taken. | Choose this work type when family and domestic violence leave is taken. |
| Personal/Carer's Leave Taken. | Choose this work type when personal carer’s leave is taken. |
| Respirator Allowance. | Choose this work type when the employee is required to work in any area which requires the employee to wear a respirator. |
| Rostered Day Off Taken. | Choose this work type when rostered day off is taken. |
| RDO Worked. | Choose this work type when a permanent employee works during an RDO. |
| Sterile Allowance. | Choose this work type when an employee is required to work in a sterile area. |
| Time In Lieu Taken. | Choose this work type when time in lieu is taken. |
| Time in Lieu of Overtime. | Choose this work type if the employee elects to accrue time in lieu instead of being paid overtime for a shift. |
Tags
Employee Tags are specific conditions typically related to the employee’s agreement. These are often conditions negotiated and agreed between the employer and the employee, or unique characteristics of the employee’s role. Payment of these provisions is usually of a recurring and ongoing nature.
| Chlorpromazine hydrochloride allowance | The employee is engaged in granulating and/or tableting and/or coating chlorpromazine hydrochloride or compounding chlorpromazine hydrochloride solution. |
| Dust mask allowance | The employee is required to work in areas other than sterile areas, which require the continued wearing of a dust mask. |
| First Aid Officer. | An employee appointed by the employer as a first aid officer. |
| Gentian violet and similar substances allowance | The employee who is engaged in processing and/or repacking in bulk Gentian Violet, Methylene Blue, Acriflavine, or similar substances |
| Permanent night shift. | The employee is required to work permanent night shift. |
| Respirator allowance | The employee is required to work in any area, which requires the employee to wear a respirator. |
| Sterile areas allowance | The employee is required to work in a sterile area. |
System limitations
Please note that rules will not be able to interpret or calculate the below clauses due to platform limitations and will require manual intervention.
Clause19.5(a) TIL not taken
If the employee requests at any time, the employer must pay the employee for overtime covered by the agreement but not taken as time off, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked;
(f) If the employee requests at any time, to be paid for overtime covered by an agreement under clause 19.5 but not taken as time off, the employer must pay the employee for the overtime, in the next pay period following the request, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.
(g) If time off for overtime that has been worked is not taken within the period of 6 months mentioned in clause 19.5(e), the employer must pay the employee for the overtime, in the next pay period following those six months, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.
(k) If, on the termination of the employee’s employment, time off for overtime worked by the employee to which clause 19.5 applies has not been taken, the employer must pay the employee for the overtime at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.
Clause19.5 (e) TIL validity
Time off must be taken:
(i) within the period of six months after the overtime is worked; and
(ii) at a time or times within that period of six months agreed by the employee and employer.
Clause17.2 (b) Gentian violet and similar substances
With a minimum payment of $2.00 per day.