The state's transport minister says a planned 24-hour strike by NSW rail workers in 12 days' time is a "silly stunt".
More than 9000 train drivers have declared "enough is enough" in their fight for a six per cent pay rise and improved working conditions and have voted to strike on January 29, which coincides with many NSW children returning to school.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union announced the strike on Tuesday after six-month long negotiations with NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance broke down with the government holding firm on its 2.5 per cent pay rise offer.
"This is ridiculous, this is a silly stunt," Mr Constance told Network Seven on Wednesday.
"The rail union don't want to meet with me."
The union's state secretary Alex Claassens is disappointed the situation has come to this but says if "worse came to worse" commuters could just skip work and stay home.
"Our members have just said 'Look, enough is enough'," Mr Claassens told the Nine Network on Wednesday.
"We have got a minister that does not respect the workers and he doesn't want to take advice from anyone. It has got to a point now we are legally allowed to take the action and our members said we are going to take it."
He accused Mr Constance of sending a text to try and negotiate.
"You pick up the phone, you come to the table, you turn around and give us the facts," he told Network Seven.
NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley says Premier Gladys Berejiklian must now intervene.
"Temperatures need to cool here, the minister's been a hot head, the drivers in response have got their backs up and they're pretty hot-headed at the moment," Mr Foley told 2GB Radio on Wednesday.
"I think the Premier needs to sideline a hot-headed, belligerent minister and get involved herself."
Mr Constance has called for the union to call off the strike telling 2GB it will put the community at risk, while not ruling out taking it up in the courts.
The strike plan follows a horror week for Sydney's rail network, which left thousands of commuters stranded in peak hour.
