WA BRANCH FEBRUARY 2026 MONTHLY
MESSAGE FROM TIM DAWSON TWU WA BRANCH STATE SECRETARY
Addressing Loopholes in the WA Transport Industry
Every day in Western Australia, thousands of small vans and light trucks under 4.5 tonnes crisscross our suburbs delivering parcels, food, medical supplies and essential goods.
They are the last mile couriers. Parcel delivery is now the fastest growing sector of the transport industry, driven by the rise of online shopping.
And right now, many of these drivers are operating without proper workplace protections.
On March 18, the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) will lobby WA Parliament to extend the Owner-Drivers Contractors Disputes Act (ODCA) 2007 to include independent owner-drivers operating vehicles under 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass (GVM).
Last mile delivery is expanding rapidly, but compliance and regulation are not keeping up.
Many drivers operate out of their own vehicles, often financed at enormous personal cost. They are the quiet backbone of our supply chain, yet when issues arise, they are too often met with a lack of cost recovery processes or meaningful dispute resolution.
The consequences of not regulating trucks under 4.5 tonnes:
The consequences are serious. The road transport industry has a fatality rate more than 13 times higher than the national average across industries. In 2023 alone, there were 231 truck-related fatalities.
While public focus often centres on heavy vehicles, the pressures on light vehicle owner-drivers are just as real. Low rates drive unsafe behaviour. Overwork. Fatigue. Speeding. Skipping maintenance. Even stimulant use to keep going.
These drivers are not reckless. They are cornered.
Out of the 65,000 members the TWU represents nationally, 15% are owner-drivers. They are essential to keeping WA moving, yet many operate without the legislative protections that larger heavy vehicle operators rely on.
The explosion of the gig economy has intensified the problem. Surveys show 45% of gig transport workers earn below the minimum wage. 73% fear for their safety at work. 81% rely on that income to survive. More than half feel pressured to rush deliveries.
Many of these gig workers end up in this very sector, delivering packages in their own cars or light commercial vehicles under 4.5 tonnes.
The TWU's Take:
The law has not kept pace with the changing industry. As last mile couriers’ responsibilities increase with the growing volume of parcels, so too should maintenance standards, compliance and regulation.
The TWU is advocating for stronger communication and coordination between government departments, including WorkSafe WA, Main Roads WA and WA Police, to improve compliance to prevent serious accidents.
We cannot accept a system where the drivers delivering to our homes are pushed into unsafe work just to survive.
By extending minimum standards under the Act to include ownerdrivers operating vehicles under
4.5 tonnes, it would align these contractors with the improved OCDA legislation passed in 2023.
This alignment would provide contractors with the same rights and protections heavy vehicles operators over 4.5 tonnes have.
These changes would further help expose companies that are willingly engaging in sham contracting. Too many businesses are eroding workers’ rights to make a quick profit, forcing drivers onto ABNs, stripping away entitlements and avoiding responsibility.
Looking to the future:
Under the proposed reforms, Owner-Driver contracts would be subject to fair, guideline rate systems and stronger dispute resolution processes. This would lift standards across the sector and reduce the financial pressure that drives unsafe practices.
Drivers would also be required to comply with processes aimed at preventing overwork, fatigue, stimulant use, speeding, overloading and neglecting vehicle maintenance.
We are going to Parliament to make it clear that light vehicle owner-drivers deserve the same protections as everyone else. Extending the Act is not just about pay. It is about sustainability, road safety and stopping exploitation before it becomes normalised.
Because when the drivers delivering to every doorstep are forced to cut corners to make ends meet, everyone shares the risk.
our roads, our skies, our future 2026
THE 2026 FIGHT KICKS OFF!
It has been a strong start to the year, and a powerful Month, with TWU meetings taking place across WA. Members are coming together to prepare for 2026 and gear up for what will be the largest industrial campaign in Australian history.
Across the region, members are organising, building strength on the ground, and getting ready to stand united for the improvements we deserve. The momentum is building, and together, we’re ready to make history.
"We've
got a fight on our hands."
TWU stepped into Perth TGE yard with force to talk to sub-contractor members about their upcoming negotiations for a national sub-contractor agreement.
Lead Organiser, Charlie Nichols, addressed the crew and spoke about our Last Mile campaign for courier drivers, and the TWU’s 2026 message to lift sector standards and worker conditions across the state.
TWU MEMBERS ENDORSING THEIR 2026 CLAIMS!
Across Australia, TWU members are endorsing the log of claims and letting us know what they want to fight for in 2026!
TWU delegates across Australia came together this month to unanimously endorse their national log of claims for their yards.
Ready to fight - ready to WIN!
AROUND THE GROUND: BARGAINING UPDATES
Back in October, the TWU won a dispute against Toll after the company tried to introduce a mandatory RDO roster to cut costs.
Toll appealed that decision, leaving workers in limbo for months.
This week, the Fair Work Commission dismissed that appeal.
Workers will continue to have the right to take RDOs when it suits them or bank them to be paid out at time and a half.
AMS WORKERS READY FOR ACTION!
Aviation workers for Aerodrome Management Services (AMS) on Barrow Island have been uniting with the TWU to push for a minimum wage increase of 10% over the next year. Over the last week, AMS workers having been voting on their protected industrial action ballot.
AMS workers have spoken! 90% of the votes submitted voted YES for Protected Industrial Action!
Right now, AMS workers are amongst the lowest-paid FIFO workers on Barrow Island. It’s one of the busiest airports in regional Western Australia, with up to 8000 passengers transiting the airport each week.
With the threat of industrial action, Barrow Island could ground to a halt!
TWU WA State Secretary Tim Dawson was on ABC Regional Radio this week, speaking out about the lack of training and skills shortage within the truck industry.
With the transport industry facing a serious skills shortage, companies are under pressure to fill gaps quickly — and too often that means putting inexperienced drivers behind the wheel of heavy vehicles before they’re fully ready.
Right now, the requirements to get a heavy vehicle license in WA are
so minimal that once drivers pass and get out on the road, some may not have a clear understanding of proper load restraint or even the ability to change a tyre.
That’s why the TWU couldn’t be more excited to see the WA Governments commitment to a new $17.4 million truck driver training centre in Neerabup rolled out this year.
Delivered through North Metro TAFE, the centre will train up to 170 students each year and include heavy rigid trucks, trailers,
forklift training, a high-tech driving simulator, and purpose-built roads for real-world experience.
This is one way to tackle the skills shortage — by properly training the next generation of drivers, not rushing them onto the road.
THE AMAZON EFFECT THE TWU RALLIES
TWU members across Australia carried out nationwide Amazon protests, against Amazon's appalling workers conditions and attacks on transport standards, marking the first stage of escalating action to improve standards in Australia's deadliest industry.
Amazon workers are cramming their family vehicles with parcels, without the standards other transport workers have. Amazon shifts workers into the gig economy and the gig economy type of work and is moving workers outside the legal framework of fair work rules.
we have a standard in Australia that we expect for workers to be employed under. And when you start putting them outside the fair work rules, they have no rights and then they get exploited.
This protest marks the first step in the TWU’s National 2026 fight to align more than 200 enterprise agreements across the country in the middle of this year.
Check our socials to see
TWU Delegates standing up to Amazon!
IS KILLING WORKERS: RALLIES FOR FAIRNESS
PERTH GAINS NEW AVIATION JOB
IN RECENT QANTAS RESULTS!
Qantas has announced it will launch a new local Jetstar cabin crew base in Perth, creating new opportunities for aviation workers in Western Australia.
The announcement comes as Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) members continue to apply pressure on the company, raising serious concerns about internationally-based Jetstar cabin crew being paid as little as $10 an hour.
Following sustained action from members, Jetstar has now agreed to meet with delegates for critical talks on pay and conditions.
The company revealed in its 1H26 half-year results that the new base will create around 90 new roles in Perth. Qantas also reaffirmed its ambition to create 8,500 jobs across Australia by 2030, reporting it is currently on track to meet this target.
Of these, 3,500 roles are expected to be in cabin crew, alongside more than 1,000 new
pilot positions.
While these announcements present new opportunities, the TWU is clear: job creation must go hand in hand with fair wages, safe and secure conditions, and strong industry standards.
“This is a huge opportunity for aviation workers in Western Australia, but it must be done right,” said TWU WA State Secretary Tim Dawson.
“We know this company has the capacity to deliver secure jobs, fair pay and strong conditions and that’s exactly what workers deserve.
The TWU will be standing shoulder to shoulder with cabin crew to make sure these new roles lift standards across the industry, not drive them down. When workers are union strong, we win safer jobs, better pay and a future we can rely on.”
The airline reported $1.46 billion in underlying pre-tax profits for the first half of this financial year, an increase of $71 million on the previous year, highlighting the capacity for investment in the workforce that keeps the industry moving.
The TWU will continue to stand union strong, ensuring that all aviation workers, including those entering the new Perth base, have access to secure jobs, fair pay, and protected conditions.
We will not accept a race to the bottom. Every worker deserves industry-leading standards and a genuine pathway to superannuation and long-term security.
The closure of Jetstar Singapore and the establishment of a local base in Perth marks a significant shift for aviation workers in WA.
As new roles open up, the TWU is calling on workers to stand together to lift standards across the industry.
UNION WOMEN SETTING STANDARDS!
On Sunday, March 1, TWU WA women working in transport gathered for the second TWU Women’s Network meeting of the year.
They came from depots, worksites and truck yards, all heavily male dominated. Women who make up just 24 per cent of the transport, postal and warehousing workforce in WA, yet carry an enormous share of its grit, resilience and pride.
The room was filled with stories. Some were powerful. Some were confronting. All of them mattered.
This meeting did not happen in isolation. It is
part of a much bigger movement that began last year when Unions WA launched a pilot study into women working in male dominated industries, including transport.
Researchers spoke first with the TWU, then directly with women across the sector, gathering honest accounts about what it is really like to build a career in an industry not designed with you in mind.
From that research, draft model clauses were developed to feed into future enterprise agreements. The goal is clear. To start setting enforceable standards for how women are treated at work across the transport industry.
