And­rew Constance: ‘I’m still the man’ to fix trains

TRANSPORT Minister And­rew Constance insists he’s still the man to fix Sydney’s rail crisis as industry warned a threatened 24-hour strike would cost $100 million.

TRANSPORT Minister And­rew Constance insists he’s still the man to fix Sydney’s rail crisis as industry warned a threatened 24-hour strike would cost $100 million.

Mr Constance last night told The Daily Telegraph he had “100 per cent” backing from Premier Gladys Berejik­lian despite calls from Labor for him to step away from ­negotiations because he is hated by train drivers.

It comes after calls for the Premier to intervene in the crisis with the union pointedly praising her as always treating the workers “with respect” when she was Transport Minister. In contrast, they claimed Mr Constance had destroyed the relationship when he said he soon “wouldn’t have to deal with them” because of driverless trains.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: AAP

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance.

Mr Constance said he had “never said anything that is ­offensive to drivers” but wouldn’t shy away from criticising “union bosses” like Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW Secretary Alex Claassens.

READ MORE: Chaos coming as rail workers refuse to work overtime

He said rail workers had ­become “the cannon fodder” of the union which was not only placing the state in chaos by announcing a the first rail strike in Sydney since 1999 but also hurting drivers, some of whom were reliant on overtime to pay their mortgages.

Mr Constance said “every possible option” was being considered to stop January 29’s strike but warned of turmoil.

A packed Wynyard railway station during the recent rail chaos. Picture: Christian Gilles

“We will be working around the clock for ways to mitigate the chaos, but there will be chaos, there is no alternative to this,” he said. “We can’t just pluck transport solutions out of thin air ... Put this into perspective if you’ve got 1200 ­people on a train you could only put 65 on a bus.”

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• EDITORIAL: ALL ABOARD THE EXCUSE EXPRESS

Commuters were left stranded and waiting during the recent delays. Picture: Christian Gilles

Mr Constance said if a 2.5 per cent annual wage increase was good enough “for teachers, nurses and police” it should be good enough for train drivers who are seeking 6 per cent.

There is a four-hour meeting scheduled today between Transport NSW’s Rodd Staples and Unions NSW’s Mark Morey to discuss the claim.

Opposition Leader Luke Foley said Mr Constance “needed to be sidelined” ­because he was “part of the problem”. While a 6 per cent salary increase was “too much” unions deserved a fair deal.

Opposition Leader Luke Foley has savaged the government’s handling of the issue. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

“There’s plenty of room for a sensible, middle-ground sol­ution through negotiations but we know the Minister can’t be a  part  of that because his sheer belligerence has gotten the workforce’s back up,” Mr Foley said.

Business Chamber executive director Patricia Forsythe said the strike would hit Sydney’s reputation as a global city. “The union has gone for maximum impact,” she said.