Territory bus drivers ramp up industrial action over industry standards and safety
From today, Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) members who drive buses for CDC will start wearing campaign-branded hi-visibility vests behind the wheel as they ramp up their campaign for industry standards.
The escalation follows an initial phase of protected industrial action which has seen drivers putting up posters in buses advising commuters about their campaign for an urgent uplift in conditions and safety.
Data compiled by the Bus Industry Confederation has shown that physical attacks are up 80% between 2017 and 2025 and that verbal abuse is up 184% since 2022 in some states.
Drivers are pushing to bring existing conditions of work in-line with industry standards that exist across the country, including improved penalty rates when driving on weekends and when working overtime, and are highlighting the need for a safer bus network.
The current enterprise agreement with CDC, the operator contracted by the Northern Territory Government to deliver bus services, expired in June 2025, with the company still refusing to come to the table with a fair agreement after months of negotiations.
TWU SA/NT Branch Secretary Sam McIntosh said that drivers wearing campaign-branded vests is an important escalation in continuing to engage with the community on the difficult and dangerous working conditions drivers face, and that further action is on the table without an improved offer from CDC.
“Industrial action is always a last resort but our members are determined to secure a fair agreement that will benefit the entire community around the Top End.
“We see drivers increasingly being physically assaulted, verbally abused and having to deal with rocks being thrown at buses – often with some of the most vulnerable members of our community on board. Last year one of our members was kicked in the head while driving on a highway. This all happens while drivers are at work and wanting to get home safely to their families at the end of each day - it’s dangerous and completely unacceptable. Our drivers do a tremendous job day in day out in providing a vital community service and they have the right to be safe at work.
“Drivers will be very hard to miss. They’ll be in bright orange campaign vests to highlight the difficult conditions they experience every day when they step onto the bus. We’re fighting for a better, fairer and safer network and we want to make sure that our community knows exactly what this campaign is all about and can get behind it.”
