As revealed in last week’s Gazette, 47 Renfrewshire Leisure workers returned home to discover they would lose between £2,000 and £8,000 from their annual pay packets.

The bombshell was dropped on staff working via a February 14 letter — with one employee describing the news as “sickening”.

But in another sucker-punch to reeling employees, just weeks later councillors voted to award themselves a payrise.

The elected members of Renfrewshire Council will pocket an extra one per cent in their monthly pay packet from April 1.

Yet, while voting for their own pay hike, discussions over harsh wage reductions for gym staff are reported to have been cut short.

The relatives of employees have sent out a number of letters to the council, with one husband saying staff are “disgusted”.

He wrote: “This is not me speaking from a personal point but from listening to staff, which my wife works alongside, and staff at the centres, the overall opinion being disgusted, unwanted, undervalued by the way that they have been treated by Renfrewshire Leisure, far, far from happy would be closer to the truth.” SNP Councillor Brian Lawson — who will receive a wage rise of £19,962 to £20,162 — says he urged the chamber to support those losing out but claims his emergency motion was dismissed by Provost Anne Hall.

He told The Gazette: “I am disappointed that the Provost rejected an emergency motion on the jobs restructure at Renfrewshire Leisure Limited.

“This is one of the most important issues in Renfrewshire in the last couple of weeks as a significant number of RLL employees are facing massive wage cuts.

“There was a time when the Labour party used to stand up for workers, now it seems it wants to bury its head in the sand and ignore the pleas of workers and their families.

“It is also a disgrace that while the Provost and Labour administration can ignore this emergency motion, they can find time to discuss a one per cent pay rise for councillors.

“How can they do this and stand by and see the wages of many of RLL’s staff cut by thousands of pounds?” Renfrewshire Leisure says the reductions are being made as part of a “revaluation” process to wipe £650,000 from an “unsustainable” wage bill.

But Mark Ferguson, Renfrewshire Branch secretary of Unison, slammed the cuts, which he says have “terrified” employees so much that some are considering putting their houses on the market.

“These are life-changing amounts of money to be cut, staff are being sent home in floods of tears over the pay cuts,” Mr Ferguson said.

“Unison has made it clear in almost four years of discussions that we oppose these detrimental and life-changing measures, especially in these times of financial hardship and austerity.” Meanwhile, Renfrewshire Council depute leader Mike Holmes accused Cllr Lawson of “staggering hypocrisy” on this issue.

“He himself took the same percentage increase — one per cent — as other councillors.

“He didn’t vote against the increase — just as he didn’t vote against any increase in his pay when he used to be leader of the council.

“As he well knows the basic salary for all councillors is set nationally by mandatory Scottish government regulations which apply to all 32 local authorities.

“The council’s options are limited to deciding how a small part of that salary pool will be divided between the posts of senior councillors, such as conveners and leader of the opposition, the post held by Councillor Lawson.

“To pretend to criticise the implementation of a national pay scheme while not voting against it - and then take the money – is complete hypocrisy.

“It is particularly disappointing when that pretence is used to mislead workers who are going through a pay review in another organisation.”