County Hall is set to announce a U-turn on its controversial policy of cutting care workers' weekend pay.

Oxfordshire County Council is being pressed to climb down on proposals to cut about 500 female workers' pay from double time to time-and-a-half on Sundays, because of the threat of a strike ballot.

It is estimated that the change of heart could cost the authority £600,000 a year in savings, but to each care worker it is worth around £100 a month.

The move comes a week after the Oxford Mail revealed that council chief executive Joanna Simons and her six senior directors had been awarded 10 per cent pay rises.

Her pay increase of nearly £15,000 is as much as a care assistant can expect to earn in a year.

Mark Fysh, the Oxfordshire branch secretary of public sector union Unison, said: "I'm meeting senior staff to negotiate a package of changes to working patterns with staff, that will not include a cut to weekend pay.

"I have been given assurances that care workers' pay will not be cut. This is a victory for common sense, a remarkable climbdown for the council, set against pay increases offered to senior management. The ordinary working woman is finally being treated fairly."

Carers are paid £7.78 an hour and get double time for Sundays, but the authority wanted to reduce their wages by 12.5 per cent to save cash.

One union insider claimed that the spectre of strike action - which could see as many as 4,000 Unison members walk out - had forced the rethink.

Mr Fysh said his talks with managers would be about rearranging working practices, including changes to sick pay and hours.

The county's social and community services director, John Jackson, said: "We have had fruitful discussions with staff over how the home support service can be improved and necessary savings made in the interests of older people and adults with disabilities.

"Staff have produced some very useful ideas and these are being evaluated, prior to further discussions with staff and Unison."

Care workers, who are some of the lowest-paid council staff, help the elderly and infirm to continue living at home by helping with basic tasks like cooking and bathing. One care worker, who did not want to be named, said: "The council is very proud of the fact we have been awarded four stars for excellent service.

"However, staff feel the reward for our contribution to this is for management to cut our hard-earned wages."

Don Seale, a former cabinet member for social and healthcare, described the council's position as "virtually untenable". He added: "We have a crowd of people (care workers) who we need to look after very well."