Transport Workers Union bus drivers to take new round of protected industrial action amid ongoing wage standoff with CDC
Territory bus drivers are signalling their anger over an ongoing pay dispute with an NT Government contractor. See what steps the union has announced.
The flashing orange vests of Nortern Territory bus drivers have become a warning sign of their anger over their wages and safety while on the job.
The Transport Workers Union said from Thursday Territory bus drivers for CDC — a NT Government contractor — would start wearing hi-visibility vests in protest of the current wage offer and safety protections.
The escalation in protected industrial action comes two weeks after drivers started putting up posters advertising their demands for an urgent uplift in conditions and safety.
TWU SA/NT branch secretary Sam McIntosh said the bright orange vests would mean drivers would be “very hard to miss” promoting their calls for conditions to be raised to the national industry standards, including improved penalty rates for weekends and overtime.
Mr McIntosh said the current enterprise agreement with CDC expired in June, accusing the company of “refusing to come to the table with a fair agreement after months of negotiations”.
He said a key demand was to address the difficult and dangerous working conditions drivers faced, and the need for a safer bus network.
“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,” Mr McIntosh said.
“It happens while drivers are at work and wanting to get home safely to their families at the end of each day.
“It’s becoming dangerous and completely unacceptable.
“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 about and can get behind it”.
Mr McIntosh highlighted that in September 2024 a TWU member was kicked in the head while driving on the highway, while police have also reported drivers allegedly being spat on and attacked through security barriers and a passenger allegedly tried to stab the driver after jumping over a “substandard” driver protection screen.
The TWU said a Bus Industry Confederation study reported physical attacks were up 80 per cent in 2025 compared to 2017, while verbal abuse in some states had spiked by 184 per cent since 2022.
When the CLP came to government only 17 of the 79 buses in the Territory fleet had upgraded safety screens and progress had stalled over the past nine months, with Logistics and Infrastructure Minister Bill Yan stating late last year safety was a top priority for the government.
Earlier this year the Bus Safety Reform Strategy was released, announcing the Casuarina Bus Interchange would be replaced by three alternative bus stops and the closure of the Darwin interchange, with the Palmerston station’s future “in consideration”.
A review into route and timetable changes was expected to be undertaken by October with a particular focus on late-night services, alongside a broader network and infrastructure reviews, and upgraded safety measures.
Critically the strategy said buses would continue to be free for everyone, to eliminate the need for drivers to carry cash on board given ongoing delays in the development of digital tickets.
CDC has been contacted for comment.
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Originally published as Transport Workers Union bus drivers to take new round of protected industrial action amid ongoing wage standoff with CDC
