Workers at eight major freight companies have begun coordinated stoppages around Australia, according to transport unions, as enterprise bargaining disputes widen across the sector.
The Transport Workers’ Union announced 24-hour stoppages at FedEx, Border Express, K&S, SCT, PFD, Sadleirs, Goldstar and Qube, beginning between midnight and 4am on Thursday 10 September.
K&S ChemTrans workers, who handle dangerous-goods freight, were scheduled to stop for 48 hours.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation issued a same-day statement saying Australian TWU members were holding the stoppages. WWTG has not independently confirmed participation at every depot or obtained a consolidated list of affected locations.
What the disputes concern
The TWU says workers are seeking pay closer to industry standards, stronger job security and consultation over automation and artificial intelligence. Those are union claims made in the context of ongoing bargaining.
The union says it has reached agreements with Team Global Express, Toll, Linfox and BevChain, while bargaining remains unresolved at the companies involved in Thursday’s action.
Operational impacts remain unclear
The published union material does not quantify delayed consignments, affected customer routes, contingency arrangements or urgent and dangerous-goods exceptions.
No consolidated employer response or verified service-impact data was available in the material reviewed by WWTG at publication time. Customers with time-critical freight should check directly with their carrier rather than assume every depot or service is affected in the same way.
FedEx was also the subject of earlier stoppages over job security, contracting and technology protections. Read WWTG’s earlier analysis of the FedEx dispute and the questions neither side fully answered.
The featured photograph shows FedEx vehicles at the company’s 2025 Australian electric-fleet launch and is used as a general company visual. Image supplied by FedEx.