Yes Old Matey he does.
BUT he doesn't negotiate it. He approves it!
There is a big difference!
He, as the minister may be asked in the process, by the board of AsA to have more latitude, or he may knock back a proposal but he does not negotiate the detail.
Even in arbitration he doesn't decide the detail. These are our conditions of employment which can be described if necessary separately from the annual increases or changes to the existing salary scale.
To simply say that these negotiations and the people present do not matter is overly simplistic and a distortion of the process.