TEACHING unions and Education Secretary John Swinney are in a stand-off over a new pay deal.
Mr Swinney told a conference of headteachers the current offer was the most generous in the public sector.
But Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), said only an improved offer would avert the threat of strike action.
Mr Swinney was addressing delegates at an event organised by the EIS days before a planned strike ballot on pay.
Read more: Strikes loom as teachers reject pay offer
He said: We are engaged in active dialogue with the professional associations and there will be further meetings next week and we are talking about a whole range of options to try and resolve these issues.
"I don't think it is in anyone's inetrests for there to be industrial action in Scottish education and I want to avoid that if I possibly can."
Asked if any more money would be forthcoming from the Scottish Government to improve the deal, Mr Swinney appeared to suggest that would not be the case.
He said: "The government has already made significant movement in putting more money on the table with a contribution from the Government of a quarter of a billion pounds.
"That comes at a time when the financial restraints on the public purse are significant and there is no pot of money that has not been utilised."
Mr Flanagan welcomed the Government's intention to continue to engage in constructive talks.
He said: "We remain hopeful that we can still negotiate an improved offer that would potentially cancel the need for strike action.
"The ballot was clear in our ability to deliver a real threat of industrial action, but we are also clear that it will take an improved offer to resolve the dispute."
Read more: How likely are school strikes?
The union plans to open a strike ballot on 11 March and could stage a strike the day before exams start in April.
Earlier this week, the EIS formally rejected an offer of a series of rises worth 9% by April plus another 3% next year.
In recognition of concern over problems in the recruitment and retention of teachers, councils had also agreed to back a restructuring of wider pay scales and look at pay for promoted teachers.
However, teaching unions have been campaigning for an immediate 10 per cent rise for all staff arguing salaries have fallen behind over the past decade.
More than 40 per cent of EIS members voted to back the deal, but 57 per cent rejected it.
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