Ramsay Pharmacy Pay Rates 2026: Pharmacy Assistant, Retail & Pharmacist Pay
What Ramsay Pharmacy workers should be paid in 2026 — the Pharmacy Industry Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Ramsay Pharmacy enterprise agreements sit.
Payroll & Compliance Editor · Registered BAS Agent, Cert IV Accounting & Bookkeeping
Who covers Ramsay Pharmacy workers — award or agreement?
Ramsay Pharmacy is a chain of retail pharmacies run by hospital operator Ramsay Health Care, distinct from its hospital business, with stores both inside hospital precincts and in shopping centres. Pharmacy teams include pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and dispensary technicians alongside general retail sales staff.
Pharmacist roles sit outside the award system, but pharmacy assistants, dispensary technicians and retail staff are covered by the Pharmacy Industry Award 2020, with any non-pharmacy retail roles falling under the General Retail Industry Award 2020. Our corpus holds no current Ramsay Pharmacy enterprise agreement, so the award tables below are what should be on the payslip.
The federal awards relevant to Ramsay Pharmacy roles:
- Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 (MA000012)
- General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004)
Workforce snapshot. In the 2024-25 Workplace Gender Equality Agency reports, Ramsay Pharmacy Retail Services Pty Ltd reported 842 employees (part of the Ramsay Health Care Australia Pty Limited group, 34,317 employees in total, 24.9% casual and 80.1% women). Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Pharmacy award floor (1 July 2026)
The Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 (MA000012) adult minimums are:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy assistant level 1 | $27.81/hr | $34.76/hr |
| Pharmacy assistant level 2 | $28.45/hr | $35.56/hr |
| Pharmacy assistant level 3 | $29.45/hr | $36.81/hr |
| Pharmacy assistant level 4 | $30.66/hr | $38.33/hr |
| Pharmacy intern — 1st half of training | $33.99/hr | $42.49/hr |
| Pharmacy intern — 2nd half of training | $35.14/hr | $43.92/hr |
| Pharmacist | $41.74/hr | $52.18/hr |
| Experienced pharmacist | $45.72/hr | $57.15/hr |
| Pharmacist in charge | $46.80/hr | $58.50/hr |
| Pharmacist manager | $52.15/hr | $65.19/hr |
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
Retail award floor — adults (21 and over)
From 1 July 2026 the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) adult minimums are:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Employee Level 1 (sales assistant, register, replenishment) | $27.81/hr | $34.76/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 2 (forklift, higher-skill work) | $28.45/hr | $35.56/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 3 (2IC, opening/closing, keyholder) | $28.89/hr | $36.11/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 4 (department or store management stream) | $29.45/hr | $36.81/hr |
If you're 21 or older and your payslip shows less than Level 1, something is wrong.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
Junior rates (under 21)
The General Retail Industry Award pays juniors a percentage of the Level 1 adult rate. From 1 July 2026 the junior minimums are:
- Under 16: $12.51/hr
- 16 years: $13.91/hr
- 17 years: $16.69/hr
- 18 years: $19.47/hr
- 19 years: $22.25/hr
- 20 years (first 6 months with the employer): $25.03/hr
- 20 years (after 6 months — full adult rate): $27.81/hr
Your rate must step up from the first full pay period after each birthday. Casual juniors add the 25% loading on top of these figures. An enterprise agreement's junior scale must leave you better off than this ladder overall.
Does Ramsay Pharmacy have an enterprise agreement?
As at 25 September 2026, our corpus of 14,141 federally registered enterprise agreements holds no current agreement for Ramsay Pharmacy. That usually means one of three things: the employer pays on the award (or on individual contracts above it), the agreement covering you is registered under a different entity name (check the employer name on your payslip and search our agreements database), or — for state public-sector employers — pay is set by a state award or agreement outside the federal register. If you have a copy of an agreement that names Ramsay Pharmacy, it beats the award figures above.
Common pharmacy pay issues at Ramsay Pharmacy
The patterns worth checking on a Ramsay Pharmacy payslip:
- Junior step-ups missed — birthday rises and the 20-year-old six-month step to the full adult rate.
- Level 1 for higher-level work — keyholding, opening/closing, running a department or regularly supervising others is Level 3–4 territory.
- Weekend penalties absorbed — a flat rate covering Saturday and Sunday shifts has to actually beat the penalty mix for your roster.
- Unpaid time — till counts, close-downs, bag checks and stocktake after the doors shut are work time, and short casual shifts must meet the award's three-hour minimum.
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.
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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.
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Six years running payroll for a Western Sydney commercial builder before moving to compliance writing and contract payroll. Registered BAS Agent (TPB). Cert IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping. Writes about pay calculations, superannuation, and the 2026 Payday Super rollout. Based in Cabramatta, Sydney.