The strike began at midnight on Thursday night and is set to run for 24 hours.

The Transport Workers Union, which is leading the strike, said Toll refused the unions calls to abandon a new workplace agreement which they say allows Toll to "outsource swathes of work and no commitments to allocate work to employees before contracting out to lower-paid workers."

Darwin-based warehouse officer Corey Colbran said he joined the nationwide strike after the company had rejected workers' requests for certain job security provisions in the agreement.

"From our standpoint, we have not been provided with adequate...clauses regarding job security," he said.

OTHER NEWS:

"Toll has so far offered us a substandard deal.

"We're not going to take an unfair deal, and we're not going to back down on job security."

Mr Colbran said logistics workers were undervalued by Toll and by society in general.

"Society has let us down because even though we have gone through COVID, we've been identified as essential workers," he said.

"We are the people going out and delivering freight. We're putting our own bodies and our own families at risk by trying to retain a job and keep freight moving withing Australia.

"Some of the freight we carry is high priority, like transporting oxygen to a hospital."

When asked for comment, President of Toll's Global Express business Alan Beacham said negotiations broke down between the company and the union because the union refused to compromise.

"Negotiations are supposed to be two sides coming together to work out their differences. To present what each side wants and then negotiate - actually compromise - until an agreement is reached," Mr Beacham said.

"Unfortunately, only Toll is making any effort to compromise in these negotiations. The union has shown little compromise.

"They continue to present a list of demands that hurt the company and make jobs less secure."

Mr Beacham said the company will not let themselves "be bullied by the union" or allow "the Australian public to be held to ransom at the behest of the TWU leadership."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY?: Send letters to the editor or story tips to editor.kathtimes@austcommunitymedia.com.au