Union bosses have accused Bradford Council of trying to "undermine" the agreed consultation methods over 408 proposed job cuts.

Public services union Unison and the GMB have criticised the Council's decision to set up a new telephone line for staff to ask questions and make comments about the controversial cuts, which are designed to save £13.6m this year.

Unison dismissed the Have Your Say feedback line, started on Monday, as a clear attempt to bypass the trade unions and undermine the consultation process.

A spokesman for the union said: "Management can manipulate any call information and misuse that to undermine the unions' position."

But Becky Hellard, the Council's strategic director of corporate services, hit back. She said: "The phone line we have set up for our staff is an additional communication method over and above intensive meetings and consultations allowing them to ask questions and make comments.

"This has nothing to do with the formal consultation process and we will still be meeting with the unions and working closely with them."

Terry Patton, branch secretary of the GMB, said the phone line had not been agreed with the unions. "It undermines the consultation because anything could be said over the phone," he said.

The Council, which is planning to trim management and administration posts, will be carrying out consultation over the next three months before a final decision is taken.

A meeting has been arranged for 10am on Friday when union bosses will ask for written answers and assurances.

Unison is demanding that there be no compulsory redundancies and that the Council should seek volunteers from all the workforce to achieve reductions. It has also asked for an immediate freeze on external recruitment and an end to use of agency workers.

The Council has said it hopes to avoid compulsory redundancies through a vacancy freeze, redeployment and a review of temporary contracts.

Unison also wants assurances that no residential homes will be closed as part of the cuts package.

During the meeting, the Council will be asked for a breakdown of the costs associated with the Bradford-i computer project and the budget reductions in the proposed 408 job reductions.

The unions will then demand to know how many redundancies are in the pipeline or planned within the financial years 2007/8 and 2008/9, linked to the three-year budget cycle.

After the meeting, Unison will consider asking the audit commission to see if Bradford Council has breached procurement rules over the Bradford-i project, while members may be balloted on strike action.