ONE hundred more Southampton City Council workers could lose their jobs if pay cuts are delayed by talks with unions that fail to reach a deal.

Tory council chiefs issued the warning as they prepare to meet union bosses for crunch negotiations to end an industrial dispute over proposed cuts to staff pay and conditions.

Unions last night accused the council of making excuses before they have even met after it emerged that the chief executive won’t be there.

Bin men, parking wardens and Itchen Bridge toll collectors are striking in protest at pay cuts of between two and 5.5 per cent.

Up to 2,400 union members at the council are also working to rule and refusing to do overtime.

Unions said that they would call off the industrial action if the council withdraws 90-day dismissal notices issued to workers threatening them with the sack if they don’t sign up to the cuts.

But deputy council leader Councillor Jeremy Moulton warned that about £2m of planned savings from the pay cuts would be put at risk if the council withdrew the notices and then had to re-consult if talks on a new deal collapsed.

He said that about 100 workers could be laid off in an emergency budget following about 250 lay-offs agreed earlier this year.

Cllr Moulton said: “In the best case scenario we would lose three months just for the delay in re-consultation.

“The worst case would be no agreement and no terms and conditions changes which would leave an £8m hole in the budget.”

He said that the unions needed to compromise after rejecting four successive proposals to make savings through pay cuts so the council could set its budget in February.

After failing to reach agreement with the unions, the council issued the dismissal notices to bring in worse contracts by July 11. The council said that nearly 3,000 of the 4,300 affected staff had now signed up to them.

Cllr Moulton said that the Tories were not prepared to make 400 staff redundant as an alternative.

However Cllr Moulton said he hoped that any new collective agreement with the unions could be pushed through within weeks.

Unison regional organiser Andy Straker said: “It sounds like they are looking for excuses before we’ve even met and don’t want to move away from the disastrous policy they have in place at the moment.

“This isn’t Unison and Unite looking for a fight. We are being led by our members, who are really angry.”

A meeting through mediation service ACAS is planned for Thursday next week.