Employment Minister Richard Lochhead has urged people to be "sensible" when asking for pay rises.
Speaking to the BBC's The Sunday Show, he acknowledged that many people were facing "huge pressure" as inflation hits a 40-year high of 9% - but added that the country was in a "precarious position" and workers should ask for "affordable" wage increases.
Both Aslef and the RMT have rejected a 2.2% offer from the recently-nationalised train operator ScotRail.
