BASILDON Council workers are suffering sleepless nights following an announcement their salaries are to be overhauled – and in numerous cases slashed by up to £2,000 a year.

Council employees have reacted with mixed feelings to plans to equalise pay for workers.

It could involve a third of the workforce seeing their wages cut, while two thirds of staff, around 600 people, could see their pay packets swell, or not change at all.

The authority announced the proposed shake-up to its pay grade system on Wednesday. But staff will not know how they will be affected until the end of this month, so some say they are left in limbo and can’t sleep for worrying.

One male council worker, who asked not to be named, told the Echo: “It’s the not knowing that’s hardest. They’ve told us what they want to do, but can’t tell us yet whose pay is going up and whose is going down.

“It might have been better not to know until it’s all sorted, to avoid sleepless nights.”

Another said: “As you’d imagine, it’s not a great feeling. It’s an anxious time for everyone.”

Council bosses say they had to go public with the plans now because the scheme will go before the council’s cabinet next Thursday.

If approved at the meeting, staff should be individually told what their new pay grading will be by the end of the month. Any changes will not be brought in until the end of the year.

Other councils, including Southend and Rochford, brought in the scheme – officially known as Single Status – seven years ago.

Phil Turner, councillor responsible for finance, stressed the changes would not affect residents or services. Although it is likely to cost the council extra cash, it will not impact on the public purse.

He said due to “prudent saving” there was enough in the pot to offset any extra wage costs until 2016. He added: “I think the reaction by staff has been measured, but of course people have a lot of questions. I think employees understand this is something we have to do – morally out of fairness and legally.”

Council leader Tony Ball added the process was not just about levelling out pay between men and women, but fairness and re-evaluating every job.

He said: “Although we have taken measures to make pay the same for men and women, some things remain a bit outdated, like paying staff who only work weekends double time. Obviously life is different now and many people outside the public sector work weekends without extra pay.”

Of the council’s 900-strong workforce, 11 posts will not be subject to change – including that of chief executive Bala Mehendran.

Mr Ball stressed this was because the 11 job titles were subject to different contracts and could not be changed legally through the scheme.