Enterprise Agreement vs Award

You'll see it on electrical, plumbing and HVAC ads all the time: "EA rates", "EBA site", "paid under our Enterprise Agreement". It's one of the most useful lines in a trade ad, and one of the least explained.

Award vs enterprise agreement

A modern award sets minimum pay and conditions for a whole industry or occupation. It applies automatically to everyone in scope.

An enterprise agreement (EA, or EBA) is negotiated between one employer and its employees, voted on, and approved by the Fair Work Commission. Once approved, it replaces the award for the people it covers.

The Commission will only approve an agreement if every covered employee would be better off overall than under the award. That's the Better Off Overall Test, or BOOT.

What "better off overall" does and doesn't mean

It's a package test, not a line-by-line one. An EA can trade one award condition for something better elsewhere, as long as the whole deal leaves each employee ahead.

So in practice, EA rates usually mean:

• A higher base rate than the award
• Set allowances - site, tool, travel, sometimes productivity
• Defined rosters and RDOs
• Pay rises locked in for the life of the agreement

What it doesn't guarantee is that it beats every other offer on the market. It beats the award. A good private-sector rate can still be higher.

A real example

One Brisbane electrician role HJ Recruitment is recruiting for (October 2026) pays $44-51 an hour under Enterprise Agreement rates, plus allowances. On a 38-hour week, the base alone is roughly $87,000-$101,000 a year before allowances. Compare that with a role at $50 an hour flat, and the EA allowances are what decide which pays more.

Questions to ask about an EA role

1. Can I see the agreement? Approved EAs are public documents on the Fair Work Commission website. You can read the exact rates and allowances before you apply.
2. When does it expire? A new agreement may be under negotiation, which can mean a rise is coming.
3. Which classification would I start on? EAs often have several levels for the same trade.
4. Which allowances will I actually get on this job? Site allowances often depend on the project.
5. Is overtime regular or occasional?

Why EA sites are worth a look

EA employers tend to be larger contractors running bigger, longer projects. That often means steadier work and clearer rules on hours. The trade-off is less room to negotiate your individual rate, because the agreement sets it.

HJ Recruitment places permanent tradespeople with Queensland employers. We'll tell you what an EA role actually pays before you apply. See the roles we're recruiting for now.

Sources- Fair Work Commission - Better off overall test- Fair Work Ombudsman - Annualised wages and salaries- HJ Recruitment - Current jobs (rates as advertised, October 2026)