Schedule A—Classification Definitions

[Varied by PR780216, PR792260]

A.1 The schedule sets out the classification structure that will apply to all employees covered by this award.

A.2 Definitions

[A.2 substituted by PR792260 ppc 14Oct25]

Backing off means to use a knife or hand to remove the hide from the back of the carcass after other clearing has been completed.

Bed and cradle means slaughtering an animal by the bed and cradle method (as opposed to on a hoist or conveyer).

Bench power saw operator is an employee who uses a band/power saw to break the animal into multiple pieces so that these pieces can be boned.

Boner is an employee who is required to use a knife to remove meat from the bones, sides, quarters or other piece of a carcass in accordance with the employer’s specifications and, where required by the employer, to dispatch such meat, bones and trimmings to other employees and/or work areas for further processing.

Buffing is the process of removing surface imperfections on a hide.

Carcass grader is an employee who determines the category or grades into which animal carcasses are allotted in accordance with approved specifications and who is appropriately accredited by the relevant authority.

Change first leg and change second leg means to insert a roller into the hamstring and hang the carcass on a rail and/or hoist.

Cheeking means to use a knife to clear the skin from the cheeks and/or head.

Chopping or sawing down pigs means to chop or saw down a pig carcass.

Clear brisket means to use a knife to clear the skin of the brisket from the carcass. This may involve venting the abdominal cavity.

Clear rectum gut and bladder means reaching into an opened carcass, grasping the anus and bladder, sealing the bladder and then pulling the gut and bladder free, using a knife where necessary.

Clearing and dropping rectum gut and bungs means to cut around the anus, placing a bag around the anus, tying the bag or rectum and releasing the rectum gut back into the cavity (typically with a hook).

Cooker and/or scalder means an employee who cooks and/or scalds in a meat manufacturing establishment.

Curing section assistant required to do salting means an employee who is required to salt meat in a meat manufacturing establishment.

Curtain coat is the process of applying dye or other finishing chemicals to a hide through a curtain spray application process.

Cut aitch bone means to cut through the aitch bone but does not involve sawing down.

Cutter up machine operator is an employee who, except as elsewhere specified, operates powered meat processing equipment.

Dehairing means to operate a dehairing machine to dehair pigs before further processing.

Derinding machine operator is an employee who, except as elsewhere specified, operates powered meat processing equipment.

Driver of motor vehicle exceeding 6 tonne carrying capacity is an employee who drives a motor vehicle exceeding 6 tonne carrying capacity, which includes a person who delivers meat and meat products in a vehicle that is 6 or more tonnes.

Dropping rectum means to cut around the anus before lifting and dropping the anus back into the cavity.

Feeding cattle from race into box means moving animals from the race into a slaughtering pen, box or crush prior to the animal being stunned or knocked.

Fillerperson is an employee that receives and pipes pre-mixed processed meat into a casing for the manufacture of salamis and other smallgoods.

First leg (including papering) and second leg (including papering) means to use a knife to clear the skin from the inside and outside of the legs of the carcass. This may involve placing a piece of paper between the carcass and the skin.

Flanking means to use a knife to clear the skin of the flank from the carcass.

Fluffing is the process of fluffing a hide.

Free with knife and/or tie and/or clip weasands means to make an incision into the throat to expose the trachea and weasand which is then freed and/or tied and/or clipped. This may also involve rodding the weasand.

Fronting out and/or paunching involves opening the stomach of a carcass and removing all internal organs, typically with a knife, so the carcass can be further processed.

Gambrell/slides and insert spreader means to place a hook or retraining device around the hind leg and hanging the carcass on the rail. Each front leg is lifted and the forelegs are placed in the U-shaped opening at each end of the fixed spreader.

Gambrelling means to secure the hind legs of a carcass by inserting a fixed hook into the hamstring/s.

General butcher is an employee who holds an accredited and relevant retail butchering trade qualification.

Guillotine machine operator is an employee who, except as elsewhere specified, operates powered meat processing equipment.

Ham and bacon curer is an employee who cures ham and bacon.

Hide or pelt puller operator is an employee required to operate a machine to remove the hide or pelt by using a machine. This may involve using knives to clear the hide or pelt while the machine is operating.

Knocking or stunning means to use a knocking device or gas to render an animal unconscious. This may involve the use of a restraining box.

Licensed product handling equipment means equipment that requires a licence to use, as may be required from time to time, to operate the piece of equipment in any Australian jurisdiction (as applicable to the State or Territory with which the work is being conducted). Examples of equipment that require a licence include but are not limited to a motor vehicle, tractor, excavator, forklift, heavy vehicle or otherwise.

Lining up and backing down means using a knife to line the sides of the backbone in preparation for sawing down.

Linker is an employee who links sausages by hand.

Loaders and labourers is an employee who loads and unloads vehicles in areas such as a wholesale meat market.

Mark and saw briskets means to run a knife down the front of the brisket and to use a saw, knife or scissors to cut the brisket.

Mark or strip tail means marking and stripping the hide from the tail with a knife.

Mixing machine operator is an employee who operates a mixing machine.

Moving pigs from race into pen means moving animals from the race into a slaughtering pen, box or crush prior to the animal being stunned or knocked.

Necking means to use a knife to clear the skin of the neck from the carcass.

Non-licensed product handling equipment means equipment that does not require a licence to use, as may be required from time to time to operate the piece of equipment in any Australian jurisdiction (as applicable to the State or Territory with which the work is being conducted).

Open neck and spear cut means to use a knife to open the skin over the neck and up the inside of the forelegs and then to use a knife to clear the skin from the neck.

Opening up means using a knife to open the belly from the navel to the brisket.

Operating air or conventional knives on hide strippers or downward hide pullers is an employee required to remove the hide by using a machine. This may involve using knives to clear the hide while the machine is operating.

Operator of other by-product machinery is an employee who operates rendering machinery or other by-product machinery

Operator of rendering machinery is an employee who operates rendering machinery or other by-product machinery.

Packing ham or bacon into cans and/or operating closing machine means packing ham or bacon into cans and/or operating a closing machine.

Pasting is part of the process of drying leather.

Pithing means to make an incision across the nape of the neck, severing through the atlas joint and spinal cord, and to place a rod or electrical stimulator down the spinal cord of the animal.

Pocketing silverside means to make a pocket after the legs have been skinned by clearing the skin from the bottom of the silverside to the top portion of the rump.

Pulling tail means marking and stripping the hide from the tail with a knife.

Push to saw and pull from saw means to push the carcass to the saw and pull the carcass away from the saw after the carcass has been sawn in half.

Push to scalding means to push the carcass of a pig to a scalding tank.

Removing first and second hind foot means to remove hind feet from the hock with powered shears.

Removing fore hooves means to remove hooves from the hock with powered shears.

Removing forefeet including skinning foot and saving sinew means to cut into the hide at the hock with a conventional knife and/or shears and to thereafter remove the forefeet.

Removing foreshank means to cut into the hide at the hock with a conventional knife and/or shears and to thereafter remove the forefeet

Removing head meat means using a knife or machine to remove head meat from the head, jaw and cheeks. Removing head meat does not include cheeking.

Removing heads by severing spinal cord and placing on table or chain means to make an incision across the neck and sever through the atlas joint and spinal cord to remove the head from the carcass. For cattle, this may involve using a machine to lift the head.

Removing horns means to remove the horns from an animal with a saw, knife or shears, including power shears.

Removing muzzle piece means to remove the mouth and nose with a knife.

Removing spreader means to release forelegs from a spreader so that the carcass is hanging by the hind legs.

Retort means to cook and sterilise food by the use of steam.

Rosetting means to use a knife to clear the skin of the neck and/or shoulders from a beef carcass.

Rumping means to use a knife or hand to clear the skin from the rump from the carcass.

Salesperson is an employee (not being a general butcher) who is employed in a self-service establishment in the replenishing of display or storage cabinets or work associated or employed in a meat retail establishment shop, selling meat products and whose principal responsibility will be dealing directly with customers in respect to sales of meat and other butcher shop products, and who may also perform the following duties:

(a) cut uncooked meat for weight;

(b) wrap meat or smallgoods;

(c) divide sausages, frankfurts or other smallgoods and for this purpose use a knife for cutting;

(d) sell goods already prepared; and

(e) prepare counter ready products.

Salter and/or pickle pumper is an employee who injects a solution into uncooked meat and or salts uncooked meat or meat products.

Sammying means applying pressure to remove water from the hides.

Saving sinews from forelegs means removing the sinew and muscle in the forelegs using a knife.

Sawing down means using a power saw to break a carcass down into 2 pieces by sawing down the backbone.

Sawyer is an employee who breaks down a carcass, side, quarter or other piece using a saw for either the pre-work-up for boning or in accordance with required specifications.

Setting out means stretching the skin or hide during tanning to maximise size prior to drying.

Shackle to fixed hook means to place a hook or restraining device around the hind leg and to hand the carcass on the rail.

Shackling (chaining) and hoisting means to operate a hoist to lift an animal to the rail after it has been stunned and shackled.

Shackling means placing a chain around the hind leg of the animal and may involve operating a hoist in the slaughter area to lift the animal to the rail.

Shaving means to shave any remaining hair after the dehairing process, which may involve operating a machine.

Siding means to use a knife to clear the skin of the side from the carcass.

Silent-cutter operator is an employee who operates a silent-cutting machine.

Singeing means to burn any remaining hair after the dehairing process, which may involve operating a machine.

Skin classer is an employee who is accredited to assess the categories or grades into which sheep skins are sorted in accordance with predetermined specifications.

Skin first leg and skin second leg means to use a knife to clear the skin form the inside and the outside of the legs of the carcass.

Skinning and/or scalping heads means to use a knife to clear the skin from the head.

Skinning briskets and foreshanks means to use a knife to clear the skin from the briskets and foreshanks.

Slaughterer Class 1 is an employee who performs the indicative tasks set out in the classification stream.

Slaughterer Class 2 is an employee who performs the indicative tasks set out in the classification stream.

Slaughterer Class 3 is an employee who performs the indicative tasks set out in the classification stream.

Slaughterer in a meat manufacturing establishment or a meat retail establishment (other than a tradesperson slaughterer) is competent to perform slaughtering tasks in accordance with the employer’s specifications.

Slicer is an employee who is required to use a knife to trim or remove fat and extraneous material, in accordance with the employer’s instructions and/or product specifications, and to dispatch such product to other employees for further processing if required by the employer.

Slicing and/or operating scales means tasks performed in the manufacture, slicing, and/or packing, of smallgoods, which involve machine slicing small quantities of smallgoods such as bacon and salami, weighing small portions for the purposes of wholesale/retail packaging and otherwise assisting with the preparation of bacon and smallgoods for wholesale/retail sale.

Smallgoods maker is an employee who has served a relevant apprenticeship or has at least 4 years’ general experience in smallgoods-making and who is responsible for the making of smallgoods and who may be required to perform all tasks relating to smallgoods manufacturing including that of mixing-machine operator, butcher, boner, salter and/or pickle pumper, cooker, filler, linker and table hand, but smallgoods maker does not include a person making smallgoods in a meat retail establishment.

Split paddywhack and drop means to split the paddywhack by making a downward incision with a knife from the nape of the neck to the shoulders.

Splitting down and removing trotters means to open up the skin over the belly and remove udders, pizzles (penis) and/or skin. For sheep, this may also involve removing the trotters with a knife or shears.

Splitting is the separating of layers in a hide by using a band knife.

Sticking (including removing sweetbreads) means to locate and remove the sweetbreads and to sever the two jugular veins.

Sticking means to sever the two jugular veins.

Strapping or wiring-machine operator or vacuum machine operator is an employee who operates a strapping machine, wiring machine or vacuum machine.

Strip rectum gut means stripping the rectum gut by running the forefinger and thumb down the rectum gut to remove faeces.

Stunning or knocking means to use a stunning device or gas to render the animal unconscious. This may involve the use of a restraining box.

Tie rectum gut means to sever the gut and bladder from the carcass and tying any remaining gut.

Toe capping means to remove the toenails with a hook.

Tractor driver, auto truck or tow motor driver is an employee who drives a tractor, auto-truck or tow motor.

Trade qualified slaughterer is a slaughterer who has an accredited and relevant trade qualification.

Trimmer is an employee who uses a knife to remove fat or other extraneous material or foreign matter from a carcass, side, quarter or piece prior to boning or in preparation for chilling prior to boning.

Tunnel boner means removing a bone from the forequarter or hindquarter of an animal by marking in and around the leg bone such that the bone can be removed by hand.

Tying weasands means to make an incision into the throat to expose the trachea and weasand, which is then freed and clipped or tied. This may also involve rodding the weasand. Tying weasands may be performed in or outside a shackling area.

Using knives for cleaning or preparing meat immediately prior to packing means work that is undertaken after the boning and slicing process has been completed, rather than beforehand, similar to that of a trimmer.

Washing means to wash a pig carcass after it has been processed.

Washing anus and pit means to wash the anus and pit (the floor).

Yard person in tanning and/or treatment/processing of skins or hides is an employee who works in a tanning section of a processing facility or a tannery.

A.3 Classifications

[A.3 inserted by PR733854 ppc 14Oct25]

Employees will be classified according to their level of skill, qualifications and the tasks they may be required to perform. The appropriate classification level for an employee is to be determined based on an overall assessment of the employee’s skills, qualifications and duties. An employer may require an employee to perform tasks at a level lower than the employee’s classification from time to time however this will not result in a reduction of the employee’s classification. The classification of an employee will not vary depending on which indicative task they are performing at a given time.

A.3.1 Meat Industry Level 1

[A.3.1 substituted by PR792260 ppc 14Oct25]

An employee at this level will be a person with no experience in the industry undergoing on-the-job training. An employee may not be engaged at this level for longer than 6 months.

An employee must progress to Meat Industry Level 2 (or Level 3 if they are employed in the meat processing establishment stream) when they meet one or both of the following:

 The employee commences performing productive work without assistance or training from another person

 The employee is certified by their employer as competent to perform a Meat Industry Level 2 task (or Level 3 task if they are employed in the meat processing establishment stream)

A.3.2 Meat Industry Level 2

[A.3.2 substituted by PR792260 ppc 14Oct25]

An employee at this level will be performing basic delivery tasks in the retail stream; or low-skilled meat manufacturing tasks. An employee at this level will be performing the following indicative tasks:

Meat retail establishment stream | Order person delivering meat/meat products.

Meat manufacturing establishment stream | Linker, table hand;‎ Slaughterer’s assistant;‎ Curing section assistant required to do salting;‎ Washing, drying, smoking section assistant;‎ Retort;‎ Employee in lard section.

A.3.3 Meat Industry Level 3

[A.3.3 substituted by PR792260 ppc 14Oct25]

An employee at this level may have experience in the industry but exercises minimal judgment in relation to their duties. An employee at this level performs more skilled work than a Level 2 employee in the case of an employee working in the meat retail or meat manufacturing establishment streams. An employee at this level will be performing the following indicative tasks:

Meat manufacturing establishment stream | Fillerperson;‎ Packing-room hand;‎ Slicing and/or operating scales, packing ham or bacon into cans and/or operating closing machine.

All meat industry streams | Employee directly connected to the slaughter floor—tasks such as moving cattle/sheep up the race;‎ Employee indirectly connected with the slaughter floor—tasks such as cleaning tripe by machine/hand;‎ Separating and/or handling offal at the eviscerating table;‎ Removing head meat;‎ Bagging lambs;‎ Labourers associated with boning and slicing activities;‎ Labourer associated with by-product activities;‎ Strapping or wiring-machine operator or vacuum machine operator;‎ Operating Whizard Knives;‎ Wrapping, weighing, pricing, packing and packaging uncooked meat;‎ Salter and/or pickle pumper (arterial or stab);‎ Chiller room/Freezer room hand;‎ Loading and unloading labourer;‎ Storing and packing labourer in or about storage works;‎ Drover/yardperson/stockperson;‎ Cleaners;‎ Labourers involved in tanning or other treatment or processing of skins or hides; Assistants in buffing, fluffing, curtain coat, splitting, pasting, setting out and sammying;‎ Machine operators/machinists in tanning or other treatment/processing of skins or hides not elsewhere classified;‎ Yard person in tanning and/or treatment/processing of skins or hides;‎ An employee performing clerical and/or office tasks such as maintenance of basic records, basic word processing, typing and filing, collating, photocopying, handling and distributing mail, delivering messages, operation of keyboard and other allied and similar equipment.

A.3.4 Meat Industry Level 4

[A.3.4 substituted by PR792260 ppc 14Oct25]

An employee at this level exercises a higher level of judgment and has a higher skill level than a Level 3 employee. An employee at this level will be performing the following indicative tasks:

Meat retail establishment stream | Smallgoods maker in a meat retail establishment (non trade qualifications);‎ Cooker and/or scalder;‎ Cashier;‎ Loaders and labourers in areas such as wholesale meat markets.

Meat manufacturing establishment stream | Silent-cutter operator;‎ Mixing machine operator;‎ Smallgoods seller from a vehicle;‎ Cutter up, guillotine operator, derinding machine operator;‎ Packer and/or scaler (smallgoods);‎ Ham & bacon curer.

Meat processing establishment stream | Slaughterer (calves and beef) Class 3 (feeding cattle from race into box; tying weasands (not in shackling area); washing anus and pit; rodding weasands; removing horns; removal of fore hooves; removing heads by severing spinal cord and placing on table or chain; remove first hind foot; change first leg; remove second hind foot; change second leg; pulling tail; split paddy whack and drop; placing and removing chains on hide stripper and removing tail skin from hide; hide puller; saving sinews from forelegs; push to saw; pull from saw; trimming sides; trimming fores, trimming hinds);‎ Slaughterer (sheep) Class 3 (operate restrainer and stun, shackle to fixed hook, gambrel and slide; insert spreader, rod weasands, remove spreader, opening up, clear rectum gut and bladder, strip rectum gut, tie rectum gut, trimming);‎ Slaughterer (pigs) Class 3 (moving pigs from race to pen, shackling, pushing to scalding, dehairing, toe capping, dropping rectum, shaving, singeing, washing, trimming).

All meat industry streams | Trimmer;‎ Using knives for cleaning or preparing meat immediately prior to packing;‎ Use of non-licensed product handling equipment;‎ Basic operation of data processing equipment in or about storage works.‎ Driver of motor vehicle not exceeding 6 tonne carrying capacity;‎ In tanning and other treatment/processing of hides or skins, the task of fleshing, buffing, fluffing, curtain coat operating, skating, shaving, glazing, spraying, hand tipping, setting out, sammying‎ In addition to the clerical and/or office tasks listed under Meat Industry Level 3 an employee at this level performs tasks such as more advanced word processing, typing and filing, generating simple documents, date entries, calculating functions, maintenance of records, operates more than basic telephone equipment and message taking.

A.3.5 Meat Industry Level 5

[A.3.5 substituted by PR792260 ppc 14Oct25]

An employee at this level exercises a higher level of judgment and has a higher skill level than a Level 4 employee. An employee at this level may hold a Certificate II qualification or equivalent. An employee at this level will be performing the following indicative tasks:

Meat retail establishment stream | Salesperson;‎ Slaughterer (associated with a retail butchers shop).

Meat manufacturing establishment stream | Slaughterer;‎ Tunnel boner.

Meat processing establishment stream | Slaughterer (calves and beef) Class 2 (knocking; shackling (chaining and hoisting); pithing; tying weasands (in shackling area); cheeking; skinning heads; removing forefeet including skinning foot and saving sinew; clearing and dropping rectum gut and bungs; mark or strip tail; remove muzzle piece; remove foreshanks; cut aitch bone; mark and saw briskets; Slaughterer (pigs) Class 2 (stunning, gambrelling).

All meat industry streams | Slicer;‎ Sawyer;‎ Bench power saw operator (breaking up);‎ Employee directly connected to the slaughter floor—tasks such as knocking and making tallow;‎ Employee indirectly connected with the slaughter floor – tasks such as making tallow;‎ Lining up, backing down and chopping or sawing down (pigs);‎ Operator of rendering machinery;‎ Operator of other by-product machinery;‎ Driver of motor vehicle exceeding 6 tonne carrying capacity;‎ Use of licensed product handling equipment;‎ Tractor driver;‎ Auto-truck or tow motor drivers;‎ More advanced operation of data processing equipment than in Meat Industry Level 4 in or about storage works;‎ In tanning and other treatment/processing of hides or skins, the task of currier, colour matching/mixing, chemical mixing, splitting and classing/sorting not elsewhere covered;‎ In addition to the clerical and or/office tasks listed in Meat Industry Levels 3 and 4, an employee at this level performs more detailed tasks such as: retrieving data; maintaining appropriate records; transcribing into records; producing more advanced documents; applying knowledge of clerical and/or office operating procedures; sorting and processing and recording from original source documents; identifying and extracting information from internal and external sources; and computer program applications commensurate with tasks.

A.3.6 Meat Industry Level 6

[A.3.6 substituted by PR792260 ppc 14Oct25]

An employee at this level exercises a higher level of judgment and has a higher skill level than a Level 5 employee. An employee at this level may hold a Certificate II qualification or equivalent. An employee at this level will be performing the following indicative tasks:

Meat processing establishment stream | Slaughterer (calves and beef) Class 1 (sticking including removing sweetbreads; skin first leg; skin second leg; pocketing silverside; rosetting; flanking; clearing brisket and venting; siding; necking; rumping; backing off; skinning briskets and foreshanks; operating air or conventional knives on hide strippers; operating downward hide-puller; fronting out; sawing down);‎ Slaughterer (beef)—bed and cradle;‎ Slaughterer (sheep) Class 1 (stick, first leg (including papering), second leg (including papering and hanging up second leg), cheek, open neck and spear cut, clear neck and forelegs, clear briskets, free and tie weasand, splitting down and removing trotters, flanking, paunching, and/or additional task where no restrainer is used, catch, stick and shackle);‎ Slaughterer (pigs) Class 1 (sticking, fronting out).

All meat industry streams | Boner;‎ Carcass grader;‎ Skin classer;‎ In addition to the clerical and/or office tasks listed in Meat Industry Levels 3 to 5, an employee at this level requires only some general guidance after training and there is scope for discretion/judgment at this level to provide assistance to clerical persons in clerical levels below.

A.3.7 Meat Industry Level 7

[A.3.7 varied by PR792260 ppc 14Oct25]

An employee at this level possesses and utilises trade qualifications:

All meat industry streams | Trade qualified slaughterer (Certificate III in Meat Processing or equivalent);General butcher;Smallgoods maker.

A.3.8 Meat Industry level 8

An employee at this level has duties above those of a general butcher tradesperson.

Meat retail establishment stream | General butcher in charge of a meat retail establishment

13. Classifications

Employees covered by this award are to be classified according to the structure set out in Schedule A—Classification Definitions.

Part 3—Hours of Work