Bus drivers plan 24 hour strike across NT network on October 20
A 24 hour, Territory-wide bus strike next week will impact commuters on all urban routes, with the union turning to industrial action as enterprise bargaining negotiations hit stalemate.
Northern Territory bus drivers are planning to strike for 24 hours next week as they escalate their campaign for better pay, safety and industry standards.
Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) members who drive buses for CDC will not drive urban bus routes for the entire day and night on Monday, 20 October.
School and special needs runs will however operate as normal.
The escalation follows many months of negotiations with bus company CDC, the operator contracted by the NT government to deliver bus services.
The current enterprise agreement expired in June and negotiations for a new deal commenced in March this year.
The union’s campaign for a safer network comes on the back of data compiled from across Australia by the Bus Industry Confederation that has shown physical attacks are up 80 per cent between 2017 and 2025, and verbal abuse is up 184 per cent in some states since 2022.
Initial phases of protected industrial action have seen drivers putting up posters in buses advising commuters about their campaign, and drivers wearing orange high visibility vests with campaign slogans when they are behind the wheel.
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.
TWU South Australia and Northern Territory branch secretary Sam McIntosh said that strike action was a “always a last resort”, but that drivers would be forced to take further action without an improved offer from CDC.
“It’s extremely disappointing that it has come to this but our members have been more than patient in their attempts to secure a fair agreement that would bring them in line with industry standards,” Me McIntosh said.
“The work that our drivers do day in, day out is difficult and dangerous. Being physically assaulted, verbally abused and attacked with rocks while at work is completely unacceptable but all too common.
“People will remember that just over a year ago one of our members was kicked in the head while driving a bus on a highway. Our drivers do a terrific job under trying conditions. They deserve a fair deal and to go home safely to loved ones at the end of each day.”
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Originally published as Bus drivers plan 24 hour strike across NT network on October 20
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