2025 WAIRC 00528
Dry Cleaning and Laundry Award 1979

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.




30. - WAGES

(1) The minimum weekly rate of wage payable to an adult employee covered by this award shall include the base rate plus the arbitrated safety net adjustment expressed hereunder:

(a) Group Classification



Minimum Rate
STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY ADJUSTMENT


$
$
A
Tradesperson Dry Cleaner/ in charge of machinery maintenance and/or boiler
1060.90
15.00
B
"Invisible" Mender
1012.30
15.00

Tailor or Tailoress


C
Presser
967.20
12.50

Receiver and Despatcher in Charge (namely a person in charge of a depot and responsible for the keeping of records and responsible for cash)



Cleaner (Operating Dry Cleaning Machine)


D
Repairer (other than Tailor or Tailoress)
967.20
12.50

Spotter



Presser (Off-set Press)



Hand Ironer



Receiver and/or Despatcher


E
Wet Cleaner
956.60
12.50

Steam Air Finisher



Examiner of Garments



Assembler of Garments



Sorter of Garments


F
All other Adult Employees
953.40
10.00


Provided that a person employed in any area of operation of this Award who is required to be solely accountable for all aspects of a self-contained dry cleaning establishment including the receiving of garments and articles, the cleaning, spotting, pressing, packaging and despatch of garments and articles, the handling of moneys, the keeping of records and the maintenance of the establishment shall be paid at a rate of not less than the rate prescribed in this table for the Tradesperson Dry Cleaner. Provided that in such a case all receivers and despatchers in that establishment shall be paid in accordance with the rates prescribed for Group D of such table.

(b) Laundering Industry:


Minimum Rate Per Week
$
Classification

Laundry Employee - Grade 1
953.00
Laundry Employee - Grade 2
953.00
Laundry Employee - Grade 3
985.20
Laundry Employee - Grade 4
995.60

(c) 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.

(2) Junior Employees:

(a) Dry Cleaning and Dyeing Industry

(i) Wages: The minimum rates of wages to be paid to junior employees shall be as follows:


Percentage of Minimum Rate for Classification E - Sorter of Garments
Under 16 years of age
50
16 years and under 17 years
55
17 years and under 18 years
65
18 years and under 19 years
75
19 years and under 20 years
85
20 years and under 21 years
93

(ii) Proportion of Juniors:

(aa) Juniors may be employed in the following proportion of not more than two for every employee receiving the adult rate.

(bb) Calculation of Proportion: In the calculation of the proportion of the number of employees receiving the adult rate for the purposes of this clause, working proprietors shall be included, but each working proprietor shall be counted only once.

(iii) No person under 18 years shall be employed on a manually operated steam press (other than an off-set silk press) or a manually operated dry cleaning machine.

(iv) Junior employed in a Receiving Depot: Notwithstanding anything hereinbefore contained any junior working alone and responsible for cash transactions and/or in charge of depot shall be paid not less than the rate prescribed for a junior '19 years and under 20 years' plus an amount of $6.90 per week.

(b) Laundering Industry:

(i) Wages: The minimum rates of wages to be paid to junior employees shall be as follows:


Percentage of Minimum Rate for the Classification in which they are Employed
Under 16 years of age
55
16 to 17 years of age
65
17 to 18 years of age
75
18 to 19 years of age
85
19 to 20 years of age
90
20 to 21 years of age
95

(3) Structural Efficiency:

(a) Arising out of the decision of the 1989 State Wage Case Decision (69 WAIG 2913) and in consideration of the wage increases resulting from the first structural efficiency adjustment payable from the first pay week commencing on or after 29 March 1990, employees are to perform a wider range of duties including work which is incidental to or peripheral to their main tasks or functions.

(b) Any changes to the classification system in the award will be based on the results of federal skill audit and trialing. The Union is prepared for the purposes of the second phase and in good faith, to duly consider any specific concerns identified by respondents to the Award and any proposals for trialing specific arrangements aimed at achieving greater flexibility for WA employers.

(c) In accordance with the Structural Efficiency Principle the parties are prepared to commit themselves to the:

(i) acceptance of classification change and new job specifications;

(ii) acceptance in principle that with due consultation between the relevant parties there will be no barriers to opportunity for advancement of employees within the award structure or through access to training;

(iii) co-operation in the transition from the old structure to the new structure in an orderly manner.

(d) In addition the Union gives the following commitments:

(i) preparedness of employees to undertake training associated with wider range of duties;

(ii) acceptance by the Union of the broad award framework and relationships established.

(4) (a) The structural efficiency increases specified in (1)(a) and below shall be added to existing actual rate of pay/base rates of pay for time employees/payment by results employees respectively and shall not be absorbed into any over award bonus payment.

GROUP
STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY ADJUSTMENT
$
F (all others)
10.00
E (rest of Group E)
12.50
D
12.50
C
12.50
B
15.00
A
15.00