Ongoing disruption on Australia's busiest urban rail network could be solved within hours, but doing so would only embolden a union that is using commuters as a pawn in their blackmail, the premier says.
Chris Minns took aim at the Rail, Tram and Bus Union on Monday as disruption continued across the Sydney Trains network.
"They think everybody in Sydney is stupid or that they're getting away with it, when everyone's on to them," the NSW premier said.
"We are on the side of commuters here."
The ongoing uncertainty around the train network is set to continue ahead of another Fair Work Commission hearing and opposition calls for the federal government to get involved.
"We are hopeful that the commission steps in at this point and ends this circus, but we'll have a plan B and a plan C," Mr Minns said.
More than 300 rail staff did not come to work on Monday morning, causing the cancellation of 322 services, while the trains that ran were on time more than 80 per cent of the time, Transport for NSW said in a statement.
It followed major disruption on Friday, the latest step in an increasingly bitter dispute as talks over a new enterprise agreement stalled once more after dragging on for almost a year.
More than 850 staff were absent then, leading to more than 95 per cent of trains being delayed or cancelled.
Disagreement over a previously undiscussed $4500 incentive payment, included in the previous agreement, caused negotiations to break down.
"The government cannot give in to the union's blackmail ... it would only embolden them," Mr Minns said.
"I could solve this dispute this afternoon by handing over a blank cheque to the union and agreeing to their latest outrageous claims, but it wouldn't solve it permanently."
The matter has come before the commission several times and will return there on Wednesday in a bid to halt protected industrial action.
The commission on Sunday dismissed the government's claim of a co-ordinated action by workers in failing to turn up.
But the union could not be blamed for everything, its NSW president Craig Turner told ABC TV on Monday.
"We promote commuters to travel on the trains - there's two parties to this - the government really hasn't come to the party," he said.
NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman called for the matter to be escalated, urging Mr Minns to ask Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Industrial Relations Minister Murray Watt for help.
Mr Minns said it won't happen until after the commission hearing.
"But I'm not ruling anything out," he said.
The union initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise across four years, but the government offered 15 per cent for the same period including a federally mandated superannuation increase.
The union later provided a counter-offer of about 20 per cent across three years, which it rescinded after legal action was launched.
