Hundreds of council workers in Glasgow are set to protest against plans to privatise the city's informational and communication technology (ICT) provision.

ICT workers are responsible for the management of the council's telecommunications and computer systems, with the operation currently being run by the council in conjunction with IT firm Cerco.

Under the proposed arrangements, however, ICT provision would be handed over completely to Canadian IT service provider CGI.

Workers are concerned that such wholesale privatisation would lead to increased operating costs that would have a knock-on effect for vital council services including social care, schools and council tax collection.

Over 350 workers are set to be affected by the privatisation of ICT services, with union leaders warning wages, working conditions and pensions could all be jeopardised by the move.

Protests are set to take place outside the city chambers on Monday September 19 to coincide with a council meeting.

Glasgow City Council's ruling Labour group have yet to approve the proposals, with UNISON expected to provide a briefing to councillors on the issue within the next few days.

Brian Smith, Unison's Glasgow Branch Secretary, said: "Unison believes that this proposal is wrong for a number of reasons including higher long-term costs, loss of control of a key council function, the future impact for social care, schools, home care, financial payments, council tax collection, benefits and other vital council services, and the threat to hundreds of workers jobs, wages and conditions.

"The best way to ensure quality council services is to have them run in-house, under democratic control. Public money should not be used to increase the profits of global private companies."

Among Unison's primary concerns are the fact that CGI have been implicated in controversy over their handling of the Scottish Government's EU payments to Scotland's farmers and their role in IT problems for President Obama's new health insurance programme in the United States of America.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: "We are in the early stages of the council's ICT procurement process and no final decision has been made.

"However, it is not true to say there is a threat to jobs, wages or conditions.

"Both the leader of the council and the chief executive have made it very clear that the interest of staff will be placed firmly at the centre of any plans and fundamental to this is job security and preservation of terms and conditions for the workforce."

A Unison official confirmed that a ballot for strike action is currently being drawn up but said that no timescale has been agreed at present.