Carlton & United Breweries Pay Rates 2026: Production, Trades & Shift Pay
What Carlton & United Breweries workers should be paid in 2026 — the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Carlton & United Breweries enterprise agreements sit.
Senior Workplace Relations Writer · GradDip Employment Relations, Griffith University
Who covers Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi) workers — award or agreement?
Carlton & United Breweries brews and distributes beer under the Carlton, Victoria Bitter and related labels, and now sits inside Asahi's wider Australian beverage business alongside Asahi's own soft-drink and water brands. Its workforce covers brewing and packaging operators, maintenance trades, and warehousing and distribution staff across breweries and distribution sites, with most roles permanent rather than casual.
The Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award 2020 (Levels 1–6) sets the floor for brewing and packaging roles. CUB and Asahi Beverages have registered a number of site-specific enterprise agreements — listed below where our corpus holds them — and any agreement covering a CUB site must leave employees better off overall than the award.
The federal awards relevant to Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi) roles:
- Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award 2020 (MA000073)
Workforce snapshot. In the 2024-25 Workplace Gender Equality Agency reports, Cub People Pty Ltd, CUB Pty Ltd reported 1,071 employees (part of the Asahi Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd group, 4,335 employees in total, 9.3% casual and 27.7% women). Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Food and beverage manufacturing award floor (1 July 2026)
Production, packing and plant staff sit on the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award 2020 (MA000073). The adult minimums are:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $25.74/hr | $32.17/hr |
| Level 2 | $26.44/hr | $33.05/hr |
| Level 3 | $27.08/hr | $33.85/hr |
| Level 4 | $27.97/hr | $34.96/hr |
| Level 5 | $29.45/hr | $36.81/hr |
| Level 6 | $30.38/hr | $37.98/hr |
Levels rise with the skills and qualifications the job requires, from Level 1 (entry, first three months) through production and trade-qualified roles. Shift, overtime and weekend loadings apply on top; plant agreements restructure these and sit above the ladder.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
The Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi) enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi) agreements in our corpus (18 in total):
- Asahi Beverages Prospect Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved August 2025, nominal expiry 30 July 2029.
- Asahi Beverages Laverton Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved May 2025, nominal expiry 31 March 2029.
- Asahi Beverages Huntingwood Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved October 2025, nominal expiry 18 February 2029.
- Asahi Beverages Huntingwood Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved October 2025, nominal expiry 18 February 2029.
- Asahi Beverages Equipment and Servicing (NSW) Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved October 2025, nominal expiry 30 September 2028.
- Asahi Beverages Tullamarine Production and Distribution Employees Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved April 2024, nominal expiry 16 October 2027.
- SCT (CUB Site), Perth WA Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved January 2025, nominal expiry 30 June 2027.
- SCT (CUB Site), Perth WA Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved January 2025, nominal expiry 30 June 2027.
Plus 10 more — search "Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi)" in our agreements database.
We don't reproduce agreement dollar figures here — the agreement covering your site, state and stream is the document to read. Find your agreement, then your classification, then your pay point, and compare it with your payslip. The award tables on this page are the floor every one of these agreements must beat.
Common food manufacturing pay issues at Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi)
The patterns worth checking on a Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi) payslip:
- Wrong C-level for the skills and qualifications actually used.
- Shift and overtime loadings absorbed into flat rates.
- Unpaid pre-start, PPE and handover time.
- Labour-hire pay gaps against directly employed staff doing the same job.
What to do if your pay looks wrong
Match your payslip to your classification in the agreement (or the award tables above), and price any gap with our back-pay calculator. Raise it in writing with payroll or your manager first — most underpayments are fixed at that step. Unresolved, the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) recovers underpayments at no cost, up to six years back, and your union can run the claim for you. Not sure which instrument covers you? Ask our AI advisor with your role and location.
FairWork Mate AI
Check your own pay with the advisor
“I work at CUB. Am I being paid the right rate for my age and hours — and are my weekend and public holiday penalties correct?”
Cited answers grounded in the Fair Work Act, your award and the Fair Work Commission decisions behind them. Free to start.
Ask the advisor →Pro is $29.99/mo for 150 questions, or a $14.99 7-Day Pass covers 50 questions over 7 days. See plans
Get pay and rights updates for your job
Free email updates when award rates, the minimum wage or workplace laws change.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Official resources
General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.
Related articles
What Coca-Cola Europacific Partners workers should be paid in 2026 — the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Coca-Cola Europacific Partners enterprise agreements sit.
Nestlé Australia Pay Rates 2026: Production, Trades & Shift PayWhat Nestlé Australia workers should be paid in 2026 — the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Nestlé Australia enterprise agreements sit.
Bega Group Pay Rates 2026: Production, Trades & Shift PayWhat Bega Group workers should be paid in 2026 — the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Bega Group enterprise agreements sit.
Arnott's Pay Rates 2026: Production, Trades & Shift PayWhat Arnott's workers should be paid in 2026 — the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Arnott's enterprise agreements sit.
Nine years in Australian workplace relations — Queensland hospitality HR, then retail ER in Brisbane and Northern NSW. Graduate Diploma in Employment Relations (Griffith University, 2018). Writes about award interpretation, underpayment recovery, and casual conversion. Member of the AHRI since 2019. Based in Paddington, Brisbane.