Push to tear up Airtrain deal back on after United Workers’ Union powerbroker intervenes

The United Workers Union is pushing the government to tear up the lucrative Airtrain deal which gives private operators exclusivity over public transport to and from Brisbane airport.

The push to tear up a lucrative deal between the state government and Airtrain is back on following the intervention of United Workers’ Union powerbroker Gary Bullock.

Mr Bullock’s union this week demanded the state government fix the deal which gives Airtrain operators exclusivity over public transport to and from the airport, forcing Brisbane Airport staff to pay up to $100 to commute to work each week.

The Courier-Mail last month reported Transport Minister Mark Bailey was in talks to potentially cut short the contract which prohibits public buses being run to either the domestic or international terminal – but they had broken down.

United Workers Union State Secretary Gary Bullock. Picture Supplied

In an intervention this week UWU co-ordinator Damien Davie called the deal “really bizarre” and called for a solution.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles on Friday confirmed talks were back on, but denied it was because of the intervention of the powerful union.

“Only because it emphasises how important public transport is for the airport workforce and I know that Minister Bailey has been working for some time with the owners of Airtrain to try to find a solution which allows for the train to be integrated into our transport network,” he said.

“It’s at the end of the day owned by the private consortium and we need to find a negotiated outcome.”

Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey was in talks to potentially cut short the Airtrain contract but they broke down. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

The Airtrain contract dates back three decades to the then Borbidge LNP government, but was acquired in 2013 by a subsidiary of Britain’s second largest pension scheme, Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited, in what was believed to be a deal worth more than $100m.

It is believed the government was forced to walk away from negotiations because the cost of altering or terminating the Airtrain contract was considered too high for the Queensland taxpayer.