Women should not be forced to wear high heels to work, according to the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (SCP).

The SCP will table a motion that women should be always permitted to wear sensible shoes in the workplace at the TUC's annual Congress in Liverpool next month,

According to the TUC, some high-end retailers and banks encourage women to wear stiletto heels to work, but the SCP believes this should not be the case for health and safety reasons.

Despite reports in the national papers this morning claiming the TUC will being calling for high heels to be banned, a TUC spokeswoman told HR magazine: "We are not saying high heels should be banned. It is just one of the 85 issues that will be debated at the TUC Congress, along with issues around the NHS and National Minimum Wage."

She added: "The SCP is not calling for high heels to be banned at work either, just that women should be given a choice over their footwear."

Last year the TUC's general secretary Brendan Barber called for employers to drop requirements preventing female staff from wearing sensible footwear.