COUNCILLORS are meeting today to decide on whether Glasgow City Council should abandon its efforts to appeal an equal pay court ruling.

The 23 members of the City Administration Committee are being asked to vote on three options.

One is to seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court in London, two is to take the cases through Employment Tribunals and allow it to adjudicate.

The third option is to seek negotiations with the claimant lawyers and union representatives to reach settlements.

The SNP group with 11 members is expected to vote for option three and the Labour group with eight members is likely to approve the same course.

The equal pay issue has dogged teh council for several years and it has fought though the courts to prevent what could potentially be a pay out of hundreds of millions of pounds.

The SNP group when it took control of the council last May said it would settle the equal pay issue but until now has continued the legal process while holding talks with the claimants.

Labour said there are questions over how the bill will be paid for and whether it will impact on jobs and on the ability to deliver services.

Unions are expected to protest outside the City Chambers demanding the council pays up now to the thousands of women who have outstanding claims.

However even if the council votes to abandon the legal opposition to the claims it will take time to negotiate with unions and lawyers on what cases are to be settled and what level of pay outs are made.