ASAHI BEER AND COCA-COLA TRANSPORT AT RISK AS QUBE DRIVERS STRIKE FOR NATIONAL STANDARDS

Media release: January 19, 2026.

Transport Workers Union (TWU) members driving for Qube Logistics in Western Australia and Victoria will stop work for 24 hours this week, risking major supply shortages of Coca-Cola, Asahi beer, Mondelēz chocolates during the Australia day long weekend.

Drivers will strike from 5:00am AWST in WA and 5:00am AEST in Victoria, on Wednesday January 21, after up to 100% of workers voted in favour of protected industrial action earlier this month.

These workers transport key inputs used in the production of Coca-Cola, Asahi beer, Mondelēz chocolates and plastic products. Disruption to supply chains is expected if Qube continues to refuse drivers’ demands on wages, conditions, and a consolidated agreement that aligns WA drivers with their Victorian counterparts.

This dispute is not about handouts or luxuries. It is about a fair national agreement that delivers decent pay and safe working conditions in line with industry expectations.

Some drivers participating in the strike have not seen a fair wage increase since 2022, with wages falling behind inflation and going backwards in real terms.

The industry is at a crossroads. If current trends continue, operators who pay properly and invest in safety will be driven out of business, while companies winning tenders will do so by cutting wages, undermining job security and putting lives at risk.

TWU WA State Secretary Tim Dawson said consolidating the Qube agreement nationally is a critical part of the union’s 2026 plan to lift standards across the industry.

“Transport is already Australia’s deadliest industry. Fragmented agreements and cost-cutting only make it worse,” Mr Dawson said.

“The TWU has a plan for 2026. Consolidating agreements like Qube’s across states is how we stop the race to the bottom and protect safe, sustainable jobs.”

TWU VIC/TAS Director of Organising, Sam lynch said workers wages are falling behind.

“Qube, who have recorded year-on-year profit increases, need to come back to the negotiation table and get serious.”

In 2026, more than 200 transport enterprise agreements will align to the same expiry date, giving workers unprecedented power to hold major operators and supply chains accountable for the standards they set.

ENDS RELEASE 

Media Contact WA: Bianca Gimondo 0493 648 371

Media Contact Victoria: Skye Griffiths 0482 499 492