Cultural assets such as Salvador Dali's depiction of the Crucifixion should be sold to settle equal pay claims in Glasgow that stretch back decades, according to a trade unionist.

The Christ of Saint John of the Cross painting, which is displayed in Kelvingrove Art Gallery, is thought to be worth around £60million. 

Glasgow City Council is reported to be facing a compensation bill of £548million for the wages women should have been paid, in cases going back to 2006.

The painting was bought for less than £10,000 in 1952.

In 2001, Richard Demarco, an arts impresario, suggested the Dali be sold to pay council debts.

Unite has accusted the council of "unecessary delays" in settling claims from after March 2018. The council said it was following the process that had been agreed with unions and was ready to make offers.

The Herald:

Gary Smith, general secretary of the GMB, said in The Times article: "If the council really thinks it can fix this [dispute] alone then it had better start making plans to flog the Dali.

"There is no way this discrimination is going to be paid for off the back of hard-pressed workers in a cost-of-living crisis."

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "We will only know the cost of settling claims once we have a deal - and that will determine any financial strategy."

In 2007, two judgements at the Court of Session ruled that both council's payment protection scheme and its workforce pay and benefits review discriminated against workers in traditionally female-dominated roles, such as catering and home care.

The council agreed two years later to settle the claims which affected thousands of workers.

However, a pay grading scheme has not yet been introduced and unions say discrimination persists.