UP to 1,200 council workers were left stunned and angry after being told their wages will be cut — in some cases by as much as £7,500.

One staff member reportedly collapsed after suffering a panic attack and scores of others were left distressed and in tears when letters informing them of their proposed salary reductions were delivered to their homes at the weekend.

And on Tuesday, a senior council official was dispatched to the council tax and benefits office in Whittaker Street, Radcliffe, to try to placate angry employees hit by the move to decrease their pay — under an agreement aimed ironically at harmonising pay and conditions.

A helpline set up by Unison at Bury Town Hall has been inundated with calls from outraged staff, many of whom face the spectre of severe financial hardship and fear they will struggle to meet mortgage and other household bills. It is understood that the majority of those faced with a reduction in their wages earn between £14,000 and £22,000 a year and that some employees will be hit to the tune of £7,500 in deductions. Some long-serving workers will go back to the salary they were earning 15 or more years ago.

Unison branch secretary Steve Morton said: “People have been ringing us in great distress. The mood among them is dismal as they are looking at massive pay cuts. All sorts of human tragedies are waiting to happen.”

The fury of disgruntled employees was heightened when it emerged that those earning £45,000 or more were not part of the evaluation exercise launched 18 months ago which has dictated whether current wages will go up, down or remain the same.

Last week, Bury Council announced it was leading the way in Greater Manchester by implementing a national agreement to harmonise pay and conditions among workers. The agreement, says local authority bosses, is about providing equality in jobs where women were traditionally underpaid compared to their male counterparts.

Some 4,000 Bury Council workers in 1,100 different occupations are affected by the changes. The agreement means that 42 per cent of them will get an increase, 28 per cent stay the same and 30 per cent face the prospect of a pay cut. The local authority is pumping £2.7 million into its budget to make way for the alterations.

The vast majority of the 1,200 who will see their salaries reduced only found out last Saturday when letters arrived at their homes. An angry Mr Morton said: “There had been no previous public announcement from anybody. Even council leader Bob Bibby hasn’t said a word. The way it was done has created the damage. The cruel blow was sending out the letters on a Saturday when people were away from their work and unable to talk to colleagues.

“One lady who lives on her own got the letter, looked at it and left it unopened until she returned to work on Monday. She didn’t want to see the result on her own because she knew she’d be upset. When she found out her pay was being cut and that all her colleagues were in the same boat, she was absolutely distressed.

“I believe that a staff member at a council depot in Bradley Fold collapsed after suffering a panic attack and that an ambulance was called. All the welfare issues associated with such an announcement have not been addressed.”

One woman worker, who asked not to be named, told the Bury Times: “The letter which dropped through my door stated that my pay is to be cut from £17,000 to £12,000. Anyone earning over £45,000 was exempt from this review, so their pay is not affected. My cut will be £333 a month which is half my mortgage payment. With the increase in petrol, utilities and food, how am I supposed to manage?

“All of my colleagues that I have been in contact with have had a pay cut ranging from £2,000 to £7,000 and none of us earns more than £18,000 and we are all women. So, I would like to know who the 42 per cent are that have had an increase. It is certainly not us. Is it their managers?”

Other workers who contacted the Bury Times said they were part of a council team facing a pay cut of between ten and 40 per cent. On average, they say, affected staff will lose £300 a month.

They said: “In the present climate, to give staff this kind of pay cut is disgraceful. Fuel bills are expected to increase by 35 per cent and food and petrol bills are also rising. So, why are the council reducing the workers’ wages by up to 40 per cent?”

Another staff member, facing a 24 per cent wage cut, said: “Some council workers have stayed the same and some have had cuts of up to 40 per cent. I suspect there will be a mass exodus from Bury Council and envisage the same from Unison if we don’t fight this disgraceful turn of events.”

Yesterday, Bury Council admitted that the pay cuts would range from one per cent to 46 per cent and that the average monthly loss would be £250. An appeals process will now be in place until the end of next month.

Salary reductions will be phased in over a three-year period, and April 2010 will be the earliest any will be implemented.

Chief officers, craft workers, youth workers, teachers and supplementary education staff were among those excluded from the pay review, carried out under the terms of the National Joint Council's Job Evaluation scheme agreed nationally by the employers and trade unions.

Asked to justify such significant wage reductions, the council responded: “As a result of job evaluation, 70 per cent of the workforce will either benefit or be paid the same as a result of the proposals. Local authorities have to devise new pay arrangements that comply with the principles of equal pay for work of equal value as required by law. The method used has the approval of the Equalities Commission.

“Bury is the first council in Greater Manchester to announce its actual pay scales. It is distressing that some people will be financially disadvantaged but we are legally bound to address the disparity of salaries.”

Mark Sanders, chief executive, said: “Bury Council, like all councils, is required to review its pay structures to comply with equal pay legislation. If we had a choice things may have been different, but there is none, without prompting exhaustive financial claims against the council by its staff, with the council taxpayer being the loser.”