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Telecommunications Services Award (MA000041)

The article provides guidelines about when to use the different work types and tags included as part of the pre-built award packages. To read further information about the Telecommunications Services Award, refer to the following article.

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.

Current financial year Historical financial years
July 2026

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.

Installing the pre-built award package

To read details on how to instal and configure this Pre-built Award Template, please review the detailed help article. While we make every effort to provide a high-quality service, we do not accept responsibility for, guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, or up-to-date nature of the service. Before relying on the information, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances.

Coverage

This industry award covers employers throughout Australia engaged in the telecommunications services industry and their employees in the classifications listed in Schedule A—Classification Structure and Definitions to the exclusion of any other modern award. For further details and any exclusions, please see clause four of the award.

Additional configuration notes for this award

Meal Break Length

Under this award, you are allowed a meal between 30 and 60 minutes. For the automated meal break and the automation of Clause 14.3 - Delayed Meal Break penalty, we will assume all breaks to be 30 minutes in length. Should the business operate with a longer break time, customisation of the rulesets is required.

Clauses Within the Award That are Unable to be Automated
We are unable to automate some clauses within this award due to platform limitations. If any of the following clauses need to actioning within your business, you will need to take manual intervention.
Minimum Engagement for Multiple Call Backs in One Day (Clause 20.7c and 20.8d)
Under the award, where an employee has completed a call back and you recall them to work within the three-hour minimum period, the three-hour minimum engagement does not apply. Instead, you would pay the employee for the time up until the commencement of the next call back. It applies to clauses 20.7 - Call Back and 20.8 - Remote service/support—Technical stream.

The platform cannot automatically pay for the time in-between the shifts in this scenario and applies minimum engagement only to the last Call Back shift. We advise that you create a timesheet that spans the actual duration requiring payment when this situation occurs.
Minimum Break Between Shifts Does Not Apply for Call Backs of Less Than three hours (Clause 20.5b, 20.7e and 20.8e)
Under Clause 20.5, where a Full Time employee works so much overtime that the employee will not have had at least ten consecutive hours off duty between the end of the employee’s ordinary hours of work on one day and the start of the employee’s ordinary hours of work on the next day. They are entitled to the penalty payments listed in Clause 20.5b. However, this penalty payment does not apply in instances where the overtime worked was due to a Call back of less than three hours. The platform is unable to ignore the application of this penalty in a scenario where ten hours of rest did not occur due to a call back of less than three hours. Manual intervention is required in this scenario.

Work types

Work types are a description of the kind of shift you are working on, and you would 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.

Compassionate Leave Taken
Choose this work type when compassionate leave is taken.
Delayed Meal Break
Choose this work type when an employee is directed to work in excess of five hours without a meal break and a delayed meal break penalty of 30 minutes is required to be paid.
Family and Domestic Violence Leave Taken
Choose this work type when family and domestic violence leave is taken.
First Aid Allowance
Choose this work type if the employee is appointed to perform first aid duty for the shift worked.
Leave Without Pay Taken
Choose this work type when unpaid leave is taken.
Long Service Leave Taken
Choose this work type when long service leave is taken.
Overtime Meal Allowance
Choose this work type when a Meal Allowance is payable.
Meal Allowance While Travelling
Choose this work type when a Meal Allowance while travelling is payable.
Paid Community Service Leave Taken
Choose this work type when community service leave is taken.
Personal/Carer's Leave Taken
Choose this work type when personal or carer's leave is taken and the business accrues the leave in hours.
Public Holiday Not Worked
Choose this work type when an employee is not required to work on a gazetted public holiday but otherwise would have worked on this day.
Recalled to Work
Choose this work type when an employee is recalled to work overtime after leaving work.
Remote Service/Support(Technical Stream)
Choose this work type when an employee is required to work overtime providing service or support over the telephone or via remote access arrangements. This condition is only applicable to those classified under the Technical Stream.
Stand-By Allowance
Choose this work type when an employee is required to stand-by between normal finishing and starting time.
Time in Lieu Taken
Choose this work type when time in lieu is taken.
Time in Lieu of Overtime
Choose this work type when the employee elects to accrue time in lieu rather than an overtime payment.
Travel Time Allowance – Sleeping Berth not Provided
Choose this work type when an employee is required to be paid for time spent travelling outside of ordinary hours and a sleeping berth is not provided by the employer for night travel.
Travel Time Allowance – Sleeping Berth Provided
Choose this work type when an employee is required to be paid for time spent travelling outside of ordinary hours and a sleeping berth is provided by the employer for night travel.
Vehicle Allowance
Choose this work type where an employer requests an employee to use their own motor vehicle to perform work duties. The kilometres travelled should be entered into the ‘units’ field i.e. 1 (one) unit is equivalent to 1 (one) kilometre.

Shift conditions

Shift Conditions are further details you can add to a shift when more than one condition applies. Shift conditions are selected when you edit a timesheet record, or when clocking on using the ClockMeIn Time and Attendance or WorkZone apps. The following is a list of Shift Conditions employees can select on their timesheet, and the meaning of each item.

Leading Hand Allowance - 11 to 20 Employees

Select this shift condition when an employee is in charge of 11-20 people for this shift. This condition is only applicable to those classified under the Technical Stream.

Leading Hand Allowance - 3 to 10 Employees
Select this shift condition when an employee is in charge of 3-10 people for this shift. This condition is only applicable to those classified under the Technical Stream.
Leading Hand Allowance - More Than 20 Employees
Select this shift condition when an employee is in charge of more than 20 people for this shift. This condition is only applicable to those classified under the Technical Stream.

Tags

Employee Tags are specific conditions typically related to the employees agreement. These are often conditions negotiated and agreed between the employer and the employee, or unique characteristics of the employees role. Payment of these provisions is usually of a recurring and ongoing nature.

12 Hour Shift by Agreement

Assign this tag when an agreement exists to extend the maximum ordinary working hours per day to 12 hours (rather than 10).

Agreement to Work Saturday Afternoon as Ordinary Time
Assign this tag when an agreement exists between an individual employee and the employer that Saturday afternoon between 1pm and 7pm is classed as ordinary hours.
Agreement to Work Sunday as Ordinary Time
Assign this tag when an agreement exists between an individual employee and the employer that Sunday between 7am and 7pm is classed as ordinary hours.
First Aid Allowance
Assign this tag where an employee is appointed to perform first aid duty for all shifts worked.
Leading Hand Allowance - 3-10 Employees
Assign this tag when an employee is in charge of between three and ten employees. This condition is only applicable to those classified under the Technical Stream.
Leading Hand Allowance - In Charge of 11-20 Employees
Assign this tag when an employee is in charge of between 11 and 20 employees. This condition is only applicable to those classified under the Technical Stream.
Leading Hand Allowance – More Than 20 Employees
Assign this tag when an employee is in charge of more than 20 employees. This condition is only applicable to those classified under the Technical Stream.
Shift Worker
Assign this tag when an employee is employed as a shiftworker.
Permanent Night Shiftworker
Assign this tag where an employee is considered to work permanent night shifts under the conditions in clause 21c.
Time in Lieu of Overtime
Assign this tag when an employee elects to receive time off instead of payment for overtime.
Tool Allowance
Assign this tag when an employee is entitled to a tool allowance.
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