Union bosses are preparing for a crunch meeting with Bradford Council on Thursday over plans to scrap bonus payments for hundreds of employees.

Legal notices served to more than 600 Council workers last week, proposing changes to their contracts, were made under equal pay legislation.

But union bosses claim they are likely to leave the majority of affected staff with pay cuts or increased working hours if they are to maintain their salaries.

Following a meeting this afternoon GMB, Unison and the Unite union issued a joint statement saying: “The three unions met to discuss the action of Bradford Council in serving a section 188 on bonus earners.

“Negotiations have been ongoing for some time. Proposals put forward by trade unions have been ignored.

“The joint trade unions therefore demand that Bradford Council withdraw the section 188 notice to allow meaningful negations to take place.”

Ray Jones, of Unite, accused the Council of “holding a gun” to their heads by not removing the legal notices for negotiations to take place. He said the three unions were contacting their members and would decide on a course of action after a meeting with the authority tomorrow afternoon.

He added: “These are people who are not fantastically well paid whose life styles will be affected.”

The proposals follow a re-evaluation of jobs in the Council’s waste services, street scene, and parks and landscapes departments.

The changes will affect workers such as refuse collectors, street sweepers, gardeners and market attendants.

While many staff may have their pay cut, others could gain a £5,500 boost to their annual salary.

Council chief executive Tony Reeves said councils across the country were removing bonuses because they were deemed to be unfair to other groups – mainly female workers – who did not earn them.