Workers faced the sack, union leaders argue

However, the council has denied threatening to sack workers if the industrial action continued.

Workers have voted overwhelmingly to end strike action, saying they feared for their jobs.

They voted by 542 to 98 to accept the city council's offer, which they had rejected by 445 votes to 287 the previous week.

Angela Lynes of public service workers' union Unison stood by the allegation of bullying and pointed to a conversation with local authority education convener Steven Purcell.

We believed the council would behave like a responsible employer in the way other councils have, and not to threaten our members with the sack. Angela Lynes Union leader

She said: "Our members have conducted themselves in an excellent manner throughout this dispute. At all stages throughout the dispute they have decided what the next step would be.

"Unfortunately the council have now decided to use to use anti trade union laws to bully our members back to work.

"We are not going to sit back and let them sack our members. We believed the council would behave like a responsible employer in the way other councils have, and not to threaten our members with the sack.

But Mr Purcell denied the allegations.

He said: "There was never any conversation or indication from the council that staff would be sacked."