Thousands of transport workers are preparing to walk off the job this week, raising the prospect of widespread disruption across Australian freight and supply chains.
Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) members employed by FedEx, Border Express, K&S, SCT Logistics, PFD Food Services, Sadleirs, Goldstar and Qube will begin 24-hour stoppages between midnight and 4am on Thursday, 10 September.
K&S ChemTrans workers in Victoria, who transport dangerous goods, are planning a longer 48-hour stoppage, beginning at 2am on Thursday and ending at 1:59am on Saturday.
As previously reported by PASA, the coordinated action follows months of enterprise bargaining negotiations and forms part of a broader campaign focused on pay, job security and workers having a say in how automation and artificial intelligence are introduced and used.
The affected operators move goods for some of Australia’s largest organisations, including Aldi, BHP, Metcash, Coca-Cola and BlueScope, according to the TWU. However, the extent of any disruption to individual customers or product categories remains unclear.
The union has already reached agreements with several major transport companies during the current bargaining round, including Toll, Linfox, Team Global Express and BevChain.
According to The Australian, those agreements will provide wage increases of between 10 and 11 percent over three years, with trigger clauses allowing increases in later years to rise if inflation exceeds the initially agreed rates.
The TWU claims companies that have agreed to improved employment standards risk losing contracts to lower-cost operators whose workers are paid between 10 and 30 percent below industry standards.
In a statement released on Monday, TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine accused major transport customers of placing downward pressure on freight costs, contributing to deteriorating employment and safety standards.
“Transport workers have two options: they can watch corporate greed make their industry more deadly, and turn their jobs into scraps of work managed by algorithms. Or they can stand up for a transport industry with secure, safe work that allows them to provide for their families,” he said.
“The workers who move critical supplies around our country are seeing their industry become more dangerous because of the greed of huge transport clients looking for the cheapest option.
“They are taking strike action because they have been left with no other choice. This is a fight for the entire future of a critical industry that has been decimated by the likes of Aldi and Amazon. Responsible Australian businesses are being pushed out, and workers and the community are paying the price of rampant undercutting with their lives.
“It’s time for these companies, and the huge clients transporting their goods, to stop ripping good jobs apart and come to the table on an industry that is fair for workers and the whole Australian community.”
Aldi has previously rejected the TWU’s allegations. Responding to similar claims in July, a company spokesperson said the supermarket chain is committed to safety, fair pay and excellent working conditions throughout its entire supply chain.
“We take our responsibilities across our supply chain very seriously, meeting and exceeding our obligations under all relevant regulations. We categorically reject any allegations by the TWU that suggest otherwise,” they said.
Elsewhere, TWU NSW Secretary Richard Olsen said agreements with several leading operators demonstrated that the union’s claims could be accommodated.
“When industry giants such as Team Global Express, Linfox, BevChain and Toll agree that the Union’s claims are fair, then nobody else has an excuse, particularly behemoths like Amazon with their mega-profits,” he said.
“This has always been about fairness. It’s been about fair pay, fair conditions, yes, but also the right to feel safe at work, the right to job security. A fair go means you aren’t constantly looking over your shoulder.
“So transport workers are having their say. Around the nation and around the industry, they’ll be speaking up.”
Published results from the Fair Work Commission show that workers at several of the affected companies, including FedEx, Border Express, K&S, SCT Logistics and PFD Food Services, recently voted on proposed protected industrial action.
For procurement teams, the stoppages demonstrate how workforce conditions within contracted transport networks can quickly become an operational risk.
Organisations sourcing logistics services may want to monitor delivery schedules, check in with affected providers and prepare contingency plans ahead of Thursday’s action.
