Members, as I write to you, we have recently wrapped up our 2025 Delegates Conference, under the marker of our upcoming campaign: “Our Roads, Our Skies, Our Future.” More on that shortly.
When I addressed our Autumn journal, I was sharing with you a series of wins that we had managed to chalk up in just the opening months of 2025. These include our members’ January action in dnata, which resulted in them winning serious pay increases from their employer, as well as increased shift penalties, 7 days’ notice to roster changes, 48-hour rest periods, and a commitment from dnata to pursue industry reform with the TWU.
This was achieved through the grit, tenacity, and unity of TWU members and delegates.
For their efforts, we were proud to present not one, but two dnata delegates with the Delegate of the Year award at this year’s conference – Joseph Mattar and Peter Tziliaskopoulos. Both should be commended for helping lead this successful action, and for the work they and their fellow members did for holding dnata to account and doing their part to slow the race to the bottom.
Just a few months later, we stood in the New South Wales Parliament celebrating the end of a decade-long effort to pass our changes to Chapter 6 of the Industrial Relations Act into law, offering stronger protections for owner drivers and small businesses, and finally recognising gig-workers in NSW Industrial Relations law for the first time.
The Minns Labor government have proved to be reliable partners in Transport Reform, and we look forward to continue building on our wins and working constructively for change, particularly with upcoming bus regulations and toll relief.
Since then, we’ve been proud to work with members to continue winning several important fights, including with waste workers who stood up to Mondiale, and with Linfox and BevChain members who have been benefiting from the free productivity training and related pay-increase that our union fought for.
And of course, we can’t forget our triumphant win from just last month – a win that will go down in the halls of TWU history – indeed all union history, and that was the $90 million penalty levied against Qantas for illegally sacking 1800 workers at the height of the pandemic. This is on top of last year’s $121 million decision from the courts to compensate effected workers.
Justice Lee noted the risk that the Transport Workers’ Union took on when it first picked up this fight back in 2020. Nobody else, not even the Fair Work Ombudsmen, would touch it.
That risk was worn by the 60,000 members of our union. Dues paying members across road, waste, buses, aviation and logistics – they all took the risk to fight for what was fair and just, because Transport Workers know that if any of us had looked away, it wouldn’t have stopped there.
The ruling against Qantas represents the largest penalty for a breach of industrial relations laws in 120 years. It rightfully reflects the effort, grit and tenacity transport workers have put in to see this through. With the Alan Joyce saga now well and truly at an end, we hope this opens the door for serious reform and engagement on bettering the industry, including by implementing our Safe and Secure Skies commission.
This brings me to 2026. Through careful planning over many years, Transport Workers have aligned over 200 Enterprise Agreements to expire in 2026, so we can take action together across road transport and aviation, fighting to lift everyone’s pay and conditions and set better sector standards.
Next year, we want to make clients pay, set better sector standards, and work together to become more member-led. I want to emphasise how big this is. Road and aviation workers fighting together for the first time, over 200 Enterprise Agreements up at the same time – this was no accident. Our officials, as well as you and your yards, worked hard to get us here. We will be sending a message loud and clear, that it’s time for the race to the bottom to stop.
This means primarily that clients must be held accountable. If supply chains want us to stop taking action, then they need to come to the table and agree to set better sector standards.
2026 is the footing that will put us in good stead for 2029, 2032, and 2035. It is critical that we stand together, because the results of this fight will dictate the rules of the next one.
Congratulations to all of our members for the work you’ve put in so far to secure a better industry. Every TWU win belongs to each and every one of our members.
Richard Olsen • TWU Secretary