Cumbria Council is being forced to cancel the contracts of 12 experienced social workers because their qualifications fail to meet new regulations.

The social workers - some of whom have worked for the council for 25 years - are to be offered new jobs by the council but these are likely to be at a more junior level with reduced pay.

The council said it had been forced to make the decision because the 12 workers' qualifications were not recognised by the General Social Care Council as valid social work qualifications. From next April, all social workers in England will have to be registered with the GSCC to practise.

Mark Clifford, Cumbria social services' Unison representative, said one of the workers had a degree in social work and welfare studies while another had an MA in learning difficulties. He said they would not accept lower paid jobs and called on the council to continue employing them in their current roles but without the title of social worker.

However, Stephen Wilds, interim director of Cumbria social services, said allowing them to do the same job was not an option.

"We would be acting outside the law. We can't redesignate them and let them carry on doing social work to get around the [Care Standards] Act," he said.

A GSCC spokesperson said the union plan would contravene the protection of title rules to be introduced under the act. She said the GSCC recognised 10 qualifications for entry to the register, some dating back to the 1960s.