During the negotiations of the 2020 Award, your union sought changes to some provisions for how camping allowance was paid. The Union had sought to have the camping allowance paid per day instead of per night. This would have provided for an extra payment when camping out however the Employer’s Association would not agree. We were successful however in pointing out that after the final night of camping out that employees still had to provide for their lunch if still on site away from home and as a result agreement was reached to vary the award.

The following Award clause now applies;

Clause 16(ix)(j)
Where the employee is required to work more than five (5) hours onsite on the final day of camping out and a meal has not been provided by the employer, the employee shall be entitled to a meal allowance at the rate set out in Table 2 of Part B.

What this means for you
Where the employee is required to work more than 5 hours onsite on the final day of camping out and the employer has not provided a meal ( for example if they were staying at a motel and meals were not provided) that employee will be entitled to a meal allowance. This can be either a supplied meal by your employer or the claim for a payment of $15.94 for a meal allowance.

This is a significant win for our members and provides certainty for our members. This change has only been able to be achieved by the efforts of your union through the support of its membership. If you seek further information or want to join the USU please contact your organiser or members services on 1300 136 604. It pays to be united.

The USU is by your side:

  • Your union has achieved certainty regarding the provision of a meal on the last day of camping.
  • This provides a meal allowance of $15.94 for those who are still at work after 5 hours on site while camping out after the final night of camping for the week unless a meal has been provided by the employer.
  • It pays to be united – the USU is by your side.

Join the USU today!
If you seek further information or want to join the USU please contact your organiser or the USU Support Team on 1300 136 604. You can also join online here.