General Retail Industry Award rostering guide
What to look up in the General Retail Industry Award before you build a roster, and the situations the trade meets most. The clauses themselves are left to the award, which is linked on every row.
General information only, not legal advice. Rules differ between awards, agreements, contracts and states, and what applies depends on the employee. Check the official source, and ask a workplace relations professional when it matters.
The short answer
The General Retail Industry Award (MA000004) generally covers shops and other retail businesses selling goods to the public.
Community pharmacies are generally covered by the Pharmacy Industry Award, and hair and beauty salons by the Hair and Beauty Industry Award.
Which award applies depends on the business and the work each person does, so confirm coverage and each person’s classification first. Then read the clauses below before rostering: they are where the award keeps the rules a roster runs into.
| Topic | Where to look | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | The coverage clause and the classifications, to confirm the award applies and at what level | Read the clause in the current award |
| Ordinary hours and rostering | The clause on ordinary hours of work and rostering, including the span of hours | Read the clause in the current award |
| Roster notice and changes | Any notice for publishing or changing a roster, and the consultation clause on changes to rosters or hours | Read the clause in the current award |
| Minimum engagement | The minimum engagement for casual and part-time employees | Read the clause in the current award |
| Breaks | Meal and rest breaks, and the break between shifts | Read the clause in the current award |
| Weekends and public holidays | Penalty rates for Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays | Read the clause in the current award |
| Overtime | When hours become overtime, and how overtime is paid | Read the clause in the current award |
Official sources
Check the rule against these, in their current versions, before relying on it.
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| General Retail Industry Award (MA000004) | The award itself, with every clause |
| Fair Work Ombudsman: find my award | Which award covers an employee |
Worked examples
General examples of where to look. They are not advice about any particular employee.
| Situation | What to check |
|---|---|
| A shop rosters staff for a late trading Thursday | The span of ordinary hours and the evening rates |
| A part-time assistant is asked to move their regular days | How the award lets a part-time employee’s agreed hours change |
| Weekend cover through the Christmas trading period | Saturday, Sunday and public holiday rates |
Employer checklist
- Confirm the award covers the business and the work, and each person’s classification
- Read the ordinary hours and rostering clause before building the roster
- Note the minimum engagement for casual and part-time employees
- Put breaks on the roster where the award says they are due
- Look up weekend, public holiday and overtime rates and enter them as your roster multipliers
- Check the award again after each annual wage review, and whenever it is varied
What Roster Flow records, and what it does not decide
- The roster and the hours worked, with every change and who made it
- An estimated wage cost, using the rates and multipliers you enter
- Approved hours, sent to payroll where pay is worked out
- Which award covers an employee, or their classification
- What any clause of an award requires
- What anybody is paid
Review log
13 September 2026: written by Roster Flow from the structure of the National Employment Standards and modern awards.
18 September 2026: every statement on this page checked against the official sources it names, by Roster Flow. It is general information, not advice from a workplace relations professional.
What that check covers, and what to confirm for your own situation:
- The businesses the General Retail Industry Award covers, as described here
- The awards it is most often confused with
- Each clause in the table, with its clause number and the date checked
- That every source link opens the current version of the source
Questions
Which businesses does the General Retail Industry Award cover?
The General Retail Industry Award (MA000004) generally covers shops and other retail businesses selling goods to the public. Which award applies depends on the business and the work each person does, so read the award's own coverage clause and confirm each person's classification before you rely on it.
Which awards is the Retail Award confused with?
Community pharmacies are generally covered by the Pharmacy Industry Award, and hair and beauty salons by the Hair and Beauty Industry Award.
Does Roster Flow apply the Retail Award to my roster?
No. Roster Flow does not interpret awards. It records the roster and the hours worked, and multiplies those hours by the rates and multipliers the business enters itself. Which award covers an employee, what any clause requires and what anybody is paid all stay with the business and its payroll system.
Where are the Retail Award pay rates?
On the Retail Award pay rates page, copied from the award's own rate tables with the day they were read recorded on it. The award itself (MA000004) is the version to check before you pay anybody.