GLASGOW city council is asking for permission to appeal a court ruling granting female employees equal pay.

Trade unions are planning to protest outside the City Chambers following the move by the council.

It comes after a long-running court battle for equal pay at The Court of Session last month decided that the council's regrading system introduced in 2007 may have been unfair towards women.

In the SNP's election manifesto, they promised to resolve equal pay, stating: " The SNP will settle all outstanding equal pay claims this Council term."

Trade unions have hit out at the latest move, which the council says is not an attempt to appeal the decision, but simply a procedural move.

A spokeswoman from GMB, which had submitted 1800 claims on behalf of their members, said the council has made "absolutely no attempt" to negotiate with them so far and described their latest legal move as "a betrayal".

The spokeswoman said:" This could have been a chance for the new administration to right the wrongs from before, as included in their manifesto.

"However they have made no attempt to negotiate with us and resolve any of the 1800 claims we have made so far."

Unison members are to stage a protest outside the city chambers during the full council meeting at 1pm.

A spokesman said: “We would like to be able to negotiate an agreement to these claims and we have already begun meeting Trade Unions. We will be having further meetings in the coming weeks.

"Seeking leave to appeal does not undermine our commitment to these negotiations.

"However this is a complex judgement and negotiations will be complex too.

"There is a very tight timescale in which you must seek leave to appeal and that runs out this week."