Concerns have been raised for the safety of 1,200 jobs at the Perth site of insurance giants Aviva.
As it emerged the company is proposing to acquire Friends Life in an estimated £5.6 billion move, politicians called for assurances on the future of the Tayside base.
The firm has stressed that no decision has been made yet on job losses.
Shareholders will vote on the deal on March 26, and it is expected to go through on April 13.
Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife said: “The announcement that Aviva plan to cut around 1,500 jobs by the end of 2017 will be a real concern for the many people who work at its Perth call centre site.
“Employees at Aviva will want urgent clarity over their future and it is essential that this is given to them at the earliest opportunity.
“I also believe it would be prudent for the Scottish Government to enter into early discussions with the company over their future plans in Perth. It is crucial if we are to see significant redundancies that we see steps taken early to help those affected.
“I have therefore called on the Scottish Government to put PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment), the Scottish Government’s national strategic partnership framework for responding to redundancy situations, on standby.”
Aviva has around 12,000 staff in the UK, including the Pitheavlis site in Perth.
Roseanna Cunningham, SNP MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, described the announcement as “unsettling” for Aviva employees in Perth.
She said: “I note that Aviva have said that it is too early for them to identify specific teams, roles or locations for the job cuts but I will be pressing them for details and assurances that there will be absolutely no compulsory redundancies in Perth.”
Pete Wishart, SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire, said: “It is really important that employees are not kept in the dark about their future and that any reduction in job numbers can be managed through means other than redundancy.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said it “will do everything it can to provide support and help to anyone affected”, through the Finance Sector Jobs Taskforce and PACE.