Starting July 1st, 2024, several important updates have been made to the Fair Work Act, that affect both employers and employees. Here’s a straightforward breakdown:
1. Minimum Wage Increase: Following the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review, the national minimum wage has gone up by 3.75%. The national minimum wage has increased from $23.23 per hour to $24.10 per hour. For casual employees, the new national minimum wage is $30.13 per hour (this includes a 25% casual loading rate). These new minimum rates apply to all employees from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2024.
2. Modern Awards and Penalty Rates: The Fairwork employment changes to pay rates within moderns awards, and the minimum wage increase described above, mean that there are now also different pay rates and penalties for weekends, public holidays, shift work, overtime, etc.
3. Fair Work Information Statement: Following the Annual Wage Review, the Fair Work Information Statement was updated. You can find it here.
4. Superannuation guarantee rate Increase: The new rate has increased from 11 to 11.5% (per year).
5. Parental Leave: Paid parental leave offered by the Federal Government (for eligible workers) has increased from 20 to 22 weeks from the 1 July 2024.
6. Delegates' Rights in Modern Awards: From 1 July 2024, all modern awards now include a delegates' rights term. This term grants workplace delegates certain rights, including representation of employees' industrial interests, reasonable communication, access to workplace facilities, and access to training.
What You Should Do?
If you’re an employer, go through the checklist below to make sure your business remains compliant with the employment laws and Fairwork employment changes:
Review and update payroll systems to reflect the new national minimum wage rates.
Review relevant modern awards to ensure compliance with updated penalty rates for weekends, public holidays, and overtime.
Download the updated Fair Work Information Statement, and replace the old version from your new starter packs .
Adjust payroll systems to reflect the increase in the superannuation guarantee rate.
Update parental leave policies to reflect the increase in paid parental leave entitlements.
Familiarise yourself with the new delegates' rights term included in modern awards. Periodically review and update employment contracts, policies, and procedures to align with current Fair Work regulations.
Provide training to HR staff and managers on the latest Fair Work changes to ensure compliance and effective implementation.
If you need help with any of the above, get in touch, I'm always happy to help.
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