Why Transport Minister David Elliott was not in NSW during rail shutdown negotiations
Transport Minister David Elliott said he wasn’t invited to negotiations with the rail union — instead attending a veterans’ memorial and ministerial meeting in Darwin.
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Transport Minister David Elliott has defended his decision to travel to the Northern Territory in his role as Veterans Minister — as negotiations in Sydney between Transport for NSW and the rail union came to a stalemate.
Mr Elliott travelled to Darwin on Friday to take part in the Veterans Ministers’ Council, before commemorating the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin in a ceremony on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and Transport for NSW over safety issues and privatisation concerns crumbled on Sunday — resulting in statewide shutdowns of the rail network and an appearance before the Fair Work Commission on Monday.
Mr Elliott told The Daily Telegraph he flew back to Sydney on Sunday.
The Transport Minister said he “has stepped in with the union over the two months that I’ve been Minister because I felt there had been bad blood”.
“If my presence on Sunday night would have seen the union also attend, I would have turned up in my pyjamas if need be,” he said. “I was being briefed on the situation between Transport and the union, by the hour, throughout the weekend.
“However, I was not invited to the negotiations at the Fair Work Commission, I am not the employer, the Transport Secretary is responsible for them.
“My chief of staff and I have been in constant contact with the Department and union representatives.”
The Minister revealed he went out of his way to meet with union representatives “before I was even sworn into the role”.
“We have been working remotely for the past two years, if I needed to be involved in any negotiations while interstate I could have been,” he said. “Veterans aren’t second-class citizens, I am there to represent them and that is what I was doing in Darwin.”
Rail Tram and Bus Union chief Alex Claassens said he hadn’t spoken with the Minister directly since February 7, following another dispute around signallers threatening overtime ban action.
Mr Claassens said Industrial Affairs Minister Damien Tudehope had been involved in negotiations.
“(Rail outages) is a dummy spit from the NSW Government,” Mr Claassens said. “Workers were prepared to take protected industrial action, but only transport management would have noticed the impact, not commuters.
“The impact to services today is not because of workers’ actions, but because the NSW Government is spitting the dummy and trying to make a point.”
The union boss said members were “ready to drive the trains whenever the NSW Government will let us”.
“All members were at work, ready to work,” he said. “They were ready and waiting to crew the trains only to be told the trains aren’t running today.
“There is no impediment, only stubbornness on behalf of the NSW Government.”
On Sunday a Transport for NSW spokeswoman said commuters could face “continued disruption until March 7” across the network, if industrial action continued.
“Transport for NSW Secretary Rob Sharp and senior executives have held meetings with rail unions this week but could not reach agreement, leaving no option but to seek a halt to the ongoing protected industrial action,” the spokeswoman said on Sunday.
“The rail agencies have engaged in more than 30 bargaining meetings across the past six months with unions, without coming to agreement.”
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