ANGRY council workers took to the streets and brought traffic to a standstill in a high profile protest over controversial plans to slash their wages.

In a significant show of strength, around 600 personnel staged a demonstration in Whitehead Gardens on Tuesday before marching to the nearby Bury Town Hall where they kept up a barrage of chanting.

Some protesters hoisted a union banner at the entrance while the sheer number of demonstrators outside temporarily blocked Knowsley Street.

And as the row over the shock cuts affecting up to 1,200 workers escalates, union bosses have not ruled out the possibility of strike action. They have called for urgent face-to-face talks with council chiefs and Bury Council leader, Councillor Bob Bibby. And trade union Unison predicts that virtually all of the 1,200 staff who face severe wage cuts of up to £7,500 will lodge an appeal.

As reported last week, up to 4,000 workers in 1,100 different occupations are affected by changes caused by the ushering in of a new national agreement aimed at harmonising pay and conditions. The agreement, says the council, is about providing equality in jobs where women were traditionally underpaid compared to their male counterparts.

The agreement has meant that 42 per cent of the 4,000 employees will get an increase, 28 per cent will stay the same while 30 per cent face the prospect of a pay cut.

Reductions will be phased in and affected staff have until the end of September to appeal.

On Tuesday, as anger continued to mount over the pay cuts, hundreds of workers supported the noon protest.

Unison regional manager, Steve Stott told the crowd: “It could be that you could take strike action over this. Any action has got to be effective and meaningful. What we have here is an enforced pay line and a shortened period for appeals. But appeals won’t settle anything. It is vital that we unite to get the employers to change their minds.”

And in a message to Bury Council chief executive, Mr Stott continued: “Mark Sanders and his colleagues are not living in the real world if they believe this union and its members are going to be rolled over. Many of our people face cuts of between £5,000 and £6,000.”

Unison branch secretary Steve Morton also addressed the rally and pledged that the union would do all in its power to fight the pay cut proposals.

He told the Bury Times and Radcliffe Times that a union helpline had been ringing “red hot” and added: “We’ve never stopped. The problem is that we’ve only been given two months to lodge appeals, this month and September.

“It’s a ridiculous timescale given the number of people affected. We would like to have an extension to that deadline.”

Asked what action Unison could take to stop the cuts, Mr Morton went on: “Because of the legal ramifications, we’re going to have to consult with members during the next four to five weeks.

“One option is for members to perhaps demand some sort of action. That is something we can’t rule out. If we didn’t have the current trade union laws, it’s probable that we would have had such strike action by now. The mood among staff is terrible and people whose wages are to be cut are absolutely devastated.

“The effect of this is just unbelievable.”

Commenting on Tuesday’s protest and rally, Mr Morton added: “The main aim was to bring people together as a group so they could express their feelings and find an outlet for their emotions.”

After the rally in Whitehead Gardens, the 600 demonstrators marched to the Town Hall. Among the chants which rang out were “What do we want? Fair pay!”, “When do we want it? Now!” and “Who do we want? Mark Sanders!”