You must pay all staff at least the WA Award rate of pay relevant to their age and for every hour worked in the business according to the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers’ Award.

The correct legal rates of pay are available to view on the WA Award Summary - Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers Award page. It is unlawful for employers to pay employees less than the rate of pay outlined in this WA Award.

Review your records and ensure employees are receiving the correct wage for their age and employment type (e.g. casuals must receive a 25% loading). 

The pay rates in the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers’ Award apply:

• in all metropolitan and regional areas of Western Australia;
• to all employees working in a café or restaurant as wait staff, baristas, kitchenhands, counterhands, chefs, cooks and other roles related to the preparation of food and serving of customers;
• to all full time, part time and casual staff; and
• to all staff working on student visas, working holiday visas and temporary skilled visas.

You also must provide leave entitlements for all staff as required by the Restaurant Tearooms and Catering Workers’ Award, Minimum Conditions of Employment Act 1993 and the Long Service Leave Act 1958. 
This quick reference guide shows basic leave entitlements for full time, part time and casual employees.

You can find extensive information about annual, sick and other leave or information specifically about long service leave on the Wageline website.

The WA Award Summary - Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers Award provides further information on leave entitlement for employees.

You must keep employment records for all employees of the business. 

The Restaurant Tearoom and Catering Workers’ Award specifies that employers must keep employment records for all employees of the business which detail:

• the employee’s name
• the employee’s date of birth if under 21 years of age
• the date the employment started
• daily start and finish time and meal breaks taken
• the number of ordinary hours and the number of overtime hours worked each day and the totals for each pay period
• total number of hours worked each week
• the gross and net amounts paid to the employee, including any allowances paid;
• all pay deductions and the reasons for them
• all leave taken, whether paid, partly paid or unpaid
• all information required to calculate long service leave entitlements and payment
• name of the WA award (for the café and restaurant sector this is the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers Award)
• employment status (such as full time, part time, casual)
• employee classification level under the award (the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers Award has 6 classification levels, based on the duties the employee is doing)
• any other information necessary to prove that the wages received by an employee comply with the requirements of the Restaurant Tearoom and Catering Workers Award, such as overtime hours worked and allowances paid. 

Employment records can be written or electronic, and must be kept in English.

Visit the Record keeping requirements page for more information, including six suggested templates. The templates have been designed to help businesses meet legislative record keeping requirements.

Employers can be penalised up to $5,000 for not keeping employment records, or for keeping inadequate or fraudulent records.