FREELANCE gym instructors are taking legal action over a £100 “tax” to teach in Glasgow’s network of leisure centres.

Instructors for Glasgow Life, which runs the city’s sports facilities, have been told they must pay the annual charge if they wish to continue teaching classes.

Lawyers say they are pursuing potential claims for around 40 instructors.

It is understood the action could centre on the ‘status’ of the instructors within Glasgow Life and whether they are classed as workers, employees or self-employed.

Many employment rights – including unfair dismissal – stem from an individual having a status of “employment”, with workers having fewer rights than employees.

Glasgow Life say the charge covers the costs of ensuring instructors have “appropriate insurance and qualifications and associated administrative costs.”

The charge also incorporates the use of the leisure centre’s Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) licence.

Marie Macdonald, an employment law specialist at Miller Samuel Hill Brown, said: “We are looking into this matter for a large number of coaches throughout Glasgow.

“Investigations are looking at the legal tests involved in determining their status.

“The £100 fee was the catalyst but we are now looking at matters more broadly.

One instructor suggested the charge could be classed as discrimination against self-employed instructors.

He said: “Will employed salaried staff who also take fitness classes within the Glasgow Club Centres and therefore also use the same facilities as self-employed instructors be asked to pay the £100 charge and what about other self employed professions?”

A spokesman for Glasgow Life said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on any potential legal proceedings at this stage.

He said: “The new annual Service Provider Agreement covers the costs of ensuring that all self-employed instructors and coaches have the appropriate insurance and qualifications, performance monitoring of classes and associated administrative costs.

“It also covers licence fees for delivery of specific programmes and classes including, in some cases, the use of our Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) licence.”

Glasgow Life has been tasked with making savings of £2.4million before 2018.

Earlier this month, it was announced that a running network originally launched by Glasgow City Council 18 years ago to help boost the city’s health record was to be axed.

Members and coaches reacted angrily to a decision to axe funding for the Glasgow Life run city-wide running club, which encouraged thousands to take up jogging.