Getting ready for the Christmas shutdown
Christmas might still feel a little way off, but if your business is planning to close over the Christmas and New Year period, now is the time to check your shutdown requirements.
Depending on the Award that applies to your employees, you may be required to provide written notice of a planned shutdown well in advance. While many Awards require 28 days’ notice, others require one, two or even three months.
For businesses planning to close in late December, some of those longer notice periods are coming up quickly.
Some employers need to act earlier
The notice period is not the same across every Award.
In particular, the following Awards require three months’ notice:
Airline Operations – Ground Staff Award
Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Associated Industries Award
Meat Industry Award, where possible
A number of Awards also require two months’ notice, including:
Building and Construction General On-site Award
Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award
Joinery and Building Trades Award
Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award
If any of these Awards apply to your workforce and you are planning a Christmas shutdown, now is the time to get your dates confirmed and your employee communication organised.
Check the notice period that applies to your Award
We have put together the shutdown notice periods for Awards that contain specific notice requirements below.
Award | Shutdown Notice |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Award | 28 days |
Aircraft Cabin Crew Award | 28 days |
Airline Operations – Ground Staff Award | 3 months |
Alpine Resorts Award | 28 days |
Aluminium Industry Award | 28 days |
Ambulance and Patient Transport Industry Award | 1 month |
Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award | 28 days |
Aquaculture Industry Award | 1 month |
Asphalt Industry Award | 1 month |
Banking, Finance and Insurance Award | 28 days |
Black Coal Mining Industry Award | 28 days |
Broadcasting, Recorded Entertainment and Cinemas Award | 28 days |
Building and Construction General On-site Award | 2 months |
Business Equipment Award | 28 days |
Car Parking Award | 1 month |
Cemetery Industry Award | 28 days |
Cement, Lime and Quarrying Award | 1 month |
Children's Services Award | 28 days |
Cleaning Services Award | 1 month |
Clerks – Private Sector Award | 28 days |
Coal Export Terminals Award | 28 days |
Commercial Sales Award | 28 days |
Concrete Products Award | 28 days |
Contract Call Centres Award | 1 month |
Educational Services (Post-Secondary Education) Award | 28 days |
Electrical Power Industry Award | 28 days |
Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award | 2 months |
Fitness Industry Award | 28 days |
Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award | 28 days |
Gardening and Landscaping Services Award | 1 month |
Gas Industry Award | 1 month |
General Retail Industry Award | 28 days |
Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award | 28 days |
Hair and Beauty Industry Award | 28 days |
Health Professionals and Support Services Award | 28 days |
Higher Education Industry – General Staff Award | 28 days |
Horse and Greyhound Training Award | 28 days |
Hospitality Industry (General) Award | 28 days |
Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award | 28 days |
Joinery and Building Trades Award | 2 months |
Journalists Published Media Award | 28 days |
Legal Services Award | 28 days |
Local Government Industry Award | 28 days |
Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award | 28 days |
Meat Industry Award | 3 months, where possible |
Mining Industry Award | 28 days |
Mobile Crane Hiring Award | 28 days |
Miscellaneous Award | 1 month |
Nursery Award | 28 days |
Nurses Award | 28 days |
Oil Refining and Manufacturing Award | 28 days |
Pest Control Industry Award | 1 month |
Pharmaceutical Industry Award | 28 days |
Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award | 2 months |
Poultry Processing Award | 1 month |
Premixed Concrete Award | 1 month |
Professional Employees Award | 28 days |
Racing Clubs Events Award | 1 month |
Racing Industry Ground Maintenance Award | 1 month |
Real Estate Industry Award | 28 days |
Registered and Licensed Clubs Award | 28 days |
Restaurant Industry Award | 28 days |
Road Transport (Long Distance Operations) Award | 1 month |
Road Transport and Distribution Award | 1 month |
Salt Industry Award | 28 days |
Seafood Processing Award | 28 days |
Security Services Industry Award | 28 days |
Silviculture Award | 28 days |
Storage Services and Wholesale Award | 1 month |
Sugar Industry Award | 28 days |
Supported Employment Services Award | 28 days |
Surveying Award | 1 month |
Telecommunications Services Award | 1 month |
Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Associated Industries Award | 3 months |
Timber Industry Award | 28 days |
Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award | 28 days |
Water Industry Award | 28 days |
Wine Industry Award | 28 days |
Wool Storage, Sampling and Testing Award | 28 days |
If you have employees covered by different Awards, make sure you check the requirements for each group rather than applying the same notice period across the business.
Planning for your Christmas shutdown
Before sending out your shutdown notice, take the time to confirm:
your proposed shutdown dates
which Awards or agreements apply to your employees
the notice period required
which employees have sufficient annual leave available
how employees without enough accrued leave will be managed
that your shutdown communication is provided within the required timeframe
It is much easier to work through these issues now than discover in December that the required notice has not been provided.
Need help with your shutdown planning
Christmas shutdown arrangements can become complicated, particularly where you have employees covered by different Awards or employees who do not have enough annual leave accrued.
If you are unsure about your shutdown obligations or would like help preparing your employee communication, contact the HR Dynamics team. We can review what applies to your workforce and help you get everything organised before the Christmas period.
Written By
Senior HR Consultant
