SERVICES will be "broken beyond repair" and vulnerable people will suffer if Glasgow City Council presses ahead with £104 million cuts - warn trade unions.

Scores attended protest against the looming cuts outside the City Chambers yesterday afternoon.

Under the banner "Defend Glasgow Services" Unite, Unison, GMB, EIS and UCATT called on the local authority to instead "lead a fight to win more money for the city".

They say services are already depleted because of the £250 million savings made since 2010.

Earlier this year, the local authority announced 3000 jobs could potentially be axed in a bid to save cash.

Benny Rankin, regional organiser for the GMB Union - whose members predominantly come from the council's cleansing departments - said the city risks "squalid conditions" if the service is squeezed any further.

Standing beside a giant inflatable rat, Mr Rankin said: "Our members are already telling us that they are coming across rats on a daily basis, in bin collection areas and in parks.

"They say some back courts are like a rat run."

He added: "There is a rapid response team who deal with dirty needles and they are sometimes going three to fours days between collections.

"We are risking squalid conditions."

Mr Rankin said that, under the cuts, bin collections could be axed - but Glasgow City Council stressed that there has been no reduction uplifts.

He added: "Stress levels among our members are through the roof.

"Moral is at an all time low.

"They don't have the man power as it is.

"The services can't sustain these levels of cuts - they will be broken beyond repair.

"We must ensure that the people of Glasgow get the level of services that they pay for."

Brian Smith of Unison said their members who work in social work feel that the service being provided to vulnerable people across the city is already "poorer".

He said: "We have a problem with staff morale but one of the main reasons for this is because the front line workers feel that services being provided are poorer.

"Carers and residential workers see that they can't provide the support to vulnerable people and understandably this makes them unhappy about doing their jobs.

"If more cuts are imposed on social work, disabled people, people with mental health problems and older people will be affected."

The unions say they have offered an alternative way forward to the cuts - but that they are yet to hold round-table talks with the council and requests for meetings have been fruitless.

Mr Smith added: "We call on all elected politicians in the city to use all available financial mechanisms to hold off any further cuts whilst leading a fight to win more money for the city.

"The council could use some of its reserves and borrowing powers, supported by the legal financial process of capitalisation, to fill the two year £103m hole expected in April 2016.

"This would allow time and space to build a mass campaign of elected councillors, trade unions, user groups and local communities with the objective of winning more money from the Holyrood and Westminster governments.

"The trade unions will support any council politician or council political grouping who adopts this strategy of no more cuts."

City Treasurer Councillor Paul Rooney said: “Glasgow needs to make estimated savings of £104 million in the next two years.

"We’re working hard to find those savings while ensuring people still receive the services they need, and without resorting to compulsory redundancies.

"Glasgow has been hit with a disproportionate share of the Scottish cuts over the last seven years and I welcome the unions’ call to oppose further cuts to Glasgow.

"The proposal to borrow to avoid savings would not be legal, but we want to work with our colleagues in the union movement to balance the budget while protecting services and jobs."