Eligibility

Any employer who has eligible workers engaged in the Queensland building and construction industry can participate in BERT and BEWT. Employers must contribute to both BERT and BEWT.

Deeds of Adherence

An employer must complete and sign the Deeds of Adherence forms to register as a participating employer for BERT and BEWT.

If you have not already completed the Deeds, please complete the Deeds of Adherence found in the forms section of this site.

Please ensure you follow the steps below when completing the Deeds of Adherence:

• Ensure the details on the front and back pages are complete, inlcuding the employers name, trading name, address and effective date that contributions to BERT and BEWT will commence
• Indicate the payday that the number of contribution weeks each month will be based on e.g. weekly each Thursday or Tuesday etc. The computer system that produces the Contribution Advice form will be altered to match your pay periods
• Ensure that the contact details on the Deeds of Adherence forms are complete. The address that is entered is the address to which all correspondence will be sent
• Sign the back of the Deeds of Adherence as either a company, a sole proprietor with workers or a partnership

The Deeds of Adherence are a legal document binding the employer to the provisions of the rules governing BERT and BEWT. The employer is legally required to make monthly contribution payments to the funds for each of its eligible workers.

Contributions must be maintained for all workers once commenced, whether they are on EBA sites, other commercial sites, or domestic sites, including when a worker is on approved leave. Contributions must be maintained while an employee is in your employment.

Contribution payments are to commence from the 'date of effect' noted on the Deeds of Adherence or the date of the industrial agreement.

All details, including the 'contact' section must be completed, otherwise the Deeds may be rejected.

Non payment of contributions

Employers contributing to the BERT fund have an obligation to pay their monthly contributions on time.

The BERT Trust Deed provides the following:

Interest - if a participating employer defaults in the payment of contributions due, it must pay interest from the date the contributions became due until the date on which they are paid at a rate determined by the Trustee to be equal to 2% over the overdraft rate as advised by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (currently 12.05%).

Recovery of expenses - A participating employer must reimburse the Trustee in respect of all reasonable expenses (including collection fees) incurred by the Trustee (or on behlaf of the Trustee by the funds administrator or otherwise) in obtaining payment by a participating employer of any outstanding contribution.