Teachers have been urged to pull back from the brink of possible strikes amid a warning action could have a devastating impact on pupils.
Scotland’s largest teaching union, the EIS, has outlined a raft of concerns.
However, Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith insisted industrial action is “not the answer”.
The EIS said it will carry out an escalating campaign of action unless politicians address teachers’ “increasingly unmanageable workload”.
According to the union, teachers are dealing with under-resourced educational reforms, austerity cuts, pointless bureaucracy, rising stress, health risks, low morale, pay cuts, pension fears, supply shortages, uncertain working conditions and excessive hours.
The EIS council has unanimously agreed to campaign against “excessive teacher workload” and advised that industrial action may be one of the options on the table.
A spokesman said the form of industrial action has yet to be agreed and could include letter writing and lobbying of local and national politicians.
He added: “Industrial action has not been ruled in or out at this stage. The campaign itself has still to be fully developed. It’s been approved by our council and it’s now for our staff to decide what action they will take in the days ahead.”
But Ms Smith said that while teachers may be under increasing pressure, those who would lose out the most if a strike went ahead would be the pupils.
She said: “I have some sympathy with the workload issues but I do not believe industrial action is the answer since this only harms the pupils at the end of the day.”
Her comments were echoed by pressure group TaxpayerScotland.
Spokesman Jonathan Isaby said: “Strikes by teachers only serve to disrupt the lives of the children they are supposed to be teaching and their parents who end up being severely inconvenienced.
“Scotland’s children would be far better off if the teaching unions spent more time actually teaching rather than agitating with their politically-inspired campaigns.”
However, general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “It is important to remember that the working environment for teachers is the learning environment for young people, so it is essential that these issues are tackled to provide all young people with the best possible environment for their learning.”