2025 WAIRC 00467
Aerated Water and Cordial Manufacturing Industry Award 1975

1B. - MINIMUM ADULT AWARD WAGE

(1) No employee aged 21 or more shall be paid less than the minimum adult award wage unless otherwise provided by this clause.

(2) The minimum adult award wage for full-time employees aged 21 or more working under an award that provides for a 38-hour week is $953.00 per week.

The minimum adult award wage for full-time employees aged 21 or more working under awards that provide for other than a 38-hour week is calculated as follows: divide $953.00 by 38 and multiply by the number of ordinary hours prescribed for a full-time employee under the award.

The minimum adult award wage is payable from the beginning of the first pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2025.

(3) The minimum adult award wage is deemed to include all State Wage order adjustments from State Wage Case decisions.

(4) Unless otherwise provided in this clause adults aged 21 or more employed as casuals, part-time employees or piece workers or employees who are remunerated wholly on the basis of payment by results, shall not be paid less than pro rata the minimum adult award wage according to the hours worked.

(5) Employees under the age of 21 shall be paid no less than the wage determined by applying the percentage prescribed in the junior rates provision in this award (if applicable) to the minimum adult award wage, provided that no employee shall be paid less than any applicable minimum rate of pay prescribed by the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act 1993.

(6) The minimum adult award wage shall not apply to apprentices, employees engaged on traineeships or government approved work placement programs or employed under the Commonwealth Government Supported Wage System or to other categories of employees who by prescription are paid less than the minimum award rate, provided that no employee shall be paid less than any applicable minimum rate of pay prescribed by the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act 1993.

(7) Liberty to apply is reserved in relation to any special category of employees not included here or otherwise in relation to the application of the minimum adult award wage.

(8) Subject to this clause the minimum adult award wage shall –

(a) Apply to all work in ordinary hours.

(b) Apply to the calculation of overtime and all other penalty rates, superannuation, payments during any period of paid leave and for all purposes of this award.

(9) Minimum Adult Award Wage

The rates of pay in this award include the minimum weekly wage for employees aged 21 or more payable under the 2025 State Wage order. Any increase arising from the insertion of the minimum wage will be offset against any equivalent amount in rates of pay received by employees whose wages and conditions of employment are regulated by this award which are above the wage rates prescribed in the award. Such above award payments include wages payable pursuant to enterprise agreements, consent awards or award variations to give effect to enterprise agreements and over award arrangements. Absorption which is contrary to the terms of an agreement is not required.

Increases under previous State Wage Case Principles or under the current Statement of Principles, excepting those resulting from enterprise agreements, are not to be used to offset the minimum wage.

(10) Adult Apprentices

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this clause, the minimum adult apprentice wage for a full-time apprentice aged 21 years or more working under an award that provides for a 38-hour week is $791.30 per week.

(b) The minimum adult apprentice wage for a full-time apprentice aged 21 years or more working under an award that provides for other than a 38-hour week is calculated as follows: divide $791.30 by 38 and multiply by the number of ordinary hours prescribed for a full-time apprentice under the award.

(c) The minimum adult apprentice wage is payable from the beginning of the first pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2025.

(d) Adult apprentices aged 21 years or more employed on a part-time basis shall not be paid less than pro rata the minimum adult apprentice wage according to the hours worked.

(e) The rates paid in the paragraphs above to an apprentice 21 years of age or more are payable on superannuation and during any period of paid leave prescribed by this award.

(f) Where in this award an additional rate is expressed as a percentage, fraction or multiple of the ordinary rate of pay, it shall be calculated upon the rate prescribed in this award for the actual year of apprenticeship.



10. – WAGES

(1) For employees employed pursuant to this Award by Coca-Cola Bottlers (Perth) Ltd, Cadbury Schweppes Pty Ltd and Pepsi-Seven Up Bottlers Australia Pty Ltd only the minimum weekly rate of pay shall include the base rate plus the supplementary payment per week, operative from the beginning of the first pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2025.



Base Rate $
Arbitrated Safety Net Adjustments $
Minimum Rates $
(a)
Production Employee - Grade 1
385.40
623.40
1008.80

Shall mean an employee classified as such who is engaged on work in connection with or incidental to the production and distribution operations of the employer and who may be required to regularly carry out any general duties together with the specific duties listed hereunder:




Specific Duties - Grade 1




- Employees engaged in bottling or canning line operations who are not in charge of operating machines - Operators of bottle washing machines - Inspecting or sighting empty or full bottles - Stacking cases on pallets - Fruit Juice extracting - General Hand.








(b)
Production Employee - Grade 2
410.00
630.20
1040.20

Shall mean an employee classified as such who is engaged on work in connection with or incidental to the production and distribution operations of the employer and who in addition to the duties of a Production Employee - Grade 1 may be required to regularly carry out the specific duties listed hereunder









Specific Duties - Grade 2





· Syrup and/or cordial makers mixing recipes or formulae who are not solely responsible for ensuring adherence to quality standards of batches.

· Operators of Filling machines

· Operators of labelling, palletising or depalletising, case packing or unpacking, carton or multi packing machines.

· Employees engaged on routine line testing

· Forklift Driver

· Truck Driver

Provided that drivers who are required to collect money during any week or portion of a week as part of their duties and account for it shall be paid $4.55 for such a week in addition to the rate of wage prescribed above.








(c)
Production Employee - Grade 3
430.50
643.00
1073.50

Shall mean an employee classified as such who is engaged on work in connection with or incidental to the production and distribution operations of the employer and who in addition to the duties of a Production Employee - Grade 2 may be required to regularly carry out the specific duties listed hereunder.









Specific Duties - Grade 3




- Syrup and/or cordial makers mixing recipes or formulae who are solely responsible for ensuring adherence to quality standards of batches - Operators of bottle washing, filling, labelling, palletising or depalletising, case packing or unpacking, carton or multi packing machines or forklifts who are competent and required to operate at least three such different machines one of which may be a forklift truck. - Driver Forklift carrying truck








(d)
Provided that, where an employee will, as a result of the implementation of the new grading structure receive an increase in excess of that allowed by the Structural Efficiency Principle, the additional amounts will be phased in as follows - the increases will be phased in over four equal instalments which will become payable at not less than six monthly intervals - the first instalment will not be available earlier than 23 February, 1990




(2) For all other employees employed pursuant to this Award and not specified in subclause (1) of this clause, the minimum rate shall include the base rate plus the arbitrated safety-net adjustment per week, operative from the beginning of the first pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2025.



Base Rate $
Arbitrated Safety Net Adjustments $
Minimum Rates $
(a)
Cordial and/or syrup maker mixing recipe or formulae who is responsible for ensuring that the correct qualities and quantities of ingredients are included in batches
392.50
625.10
1017.60





(b)
Filler operator:




(i) for lines with a rate capacity of under 150 units per minute
378.50
621.20
999.70

(ii) for all other lines
387.30
623.70
1011.00





(c)
Driver of motor vehicle

Provided that drivers who are required to collect money during any week or portion of a week as part of their duties and account for it shall be paid $4.25 for such week in addition to the rate of wage prescribed above
387.70
624.00
1011.70





(d)
Driver of Fork Lift -




(i) Less than three months experience
377.00
620.90
997.90

(ii) Thereafter
387.60
624.00
1011.60





(e)
Employees operating labelling, palletising or de-palletising, case packing or unpacking or carton packing machines
380.60
621.90
1002.50





(f)
Employees engaged on routine line testing
370.40
619.10
989.50





(g)
Employees engaged on bottling or canning line operations including operating bottle washer, removing empty bottles from cases or placing empty bottles on conveyors, sighting, inspecting, filling cases with full bottles and stacking on pallets, fruit juice extracting, cordial and/or syrup room.
362.70
616.80
979.50





(h)
All others
357.70
615.40
973.10






(3) Junior Employees:

(a) Except as provided for in paragraph (b) of this subclause junior employees shall receive the prescribed percentage of the adult rate for the class of work on which they are engaged.


%
16 years of age and under
50
At 17 years of age
60
At 18 years of age
75
At 19 years of age
90
At 20 years of age
Adult Rates

(b) Where a person is employed pursuant to this Award by Coca Cola Bottlers (Perth) Ltd or Cadbury Schweppes Pty Ltd and he/she is 20 years of age or less then the rate of wage payable shall be as specified in subclause (1) of this clause according to the appropriate classifications.

(4) Leading Hands:

In addition to the appropriate rate prescribed in this clause a leading hand shall be paid –



$ Per Week
(a)
If placed in charge of not less than 3 and not more than 10 other employees
22.05



(b)
If placed in charge of more than 10 and not more than 20 other employees
33.90



(c)
If placed in charge of more than 20 other employees
45.05

(5) Supplementary payments set out in subclauses (1) and (2) of this clause represent payment in lieu of equivalent overaward payments.

"Overaward Payment" is defined as the amount (whether it be termed "overaward payment", "attendance bonus", "service increment" or any term whatsoever) which an employee would receive in excess of the "award wage" which applied immediately prior to the decision of the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission dated 24 December 1993 (Application No. 1457/1993) for the classification in which such employee is engaged. Provided that such payment shall exclude overtime, shift allowances, penalty rates, disability allowances, fares and travelling time allowances and any other ancillary payments of a like nature prescribed by this award.

The supplementary payment at each classification level includes an $8.00 adjustment reflecting the application of the arbitrated safety net adjustment principle enunciated in the State Wage decision of 24 December 1993 (Application No. 1457/1993). Consistent with the requirements of the Principles the $8.00 safety net adjustment is absorbable to the extent of any equivalent amount in rates of pay - whether overaward, award or industrial agreement - in excess of the minimum rates (classification rate and supplementary payment) prescribed in accordance with the September 1989 State Wage Case decision.

(6) The rates of pay in this award include arbitrated safety net adjustments available since December 1993, under the Arbitrated Safety Net Adjustment Principle.

These arbitrated safety net adjustments may be offset against any equivalent amount in the rate of pay received by employees since 1 November 1991 above the rate prescribed in the Award, except where such absorption is contrary to the terms of an industrial agreement.

Increases in rates of pay otherwise made under the State Wage Case Principles, excepting those resulting from enterprise agreements, are not to be used to offset arbitrated safety net adjustments.