OXFORD is facing “major disruption” when an estimated 10,000 people descend on the city centre for a protest by public sector workers next month.

The city will be one of only two nationwide protest rallies taking place on Saturday, July 14, when unionists complain about Government changes to their pay, job cuts and pensions.

The Oxford event is for the whole of the south of England and London, with organisers planning to bus in groups from as far afield as Reading, Birmingham and Surrey. The other rally, for the north of the country, is being held in Sheffield.

Members of the Unison, the National Union of Teachers, the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) and Oxford and District Trades Union Council are all expected to take part.

Protesters are due to assemble in Manzil Way at 11am. From there they will march down Cowley Road towards The Plain and make their way towards Broad Street via High Street for 1pm.

Unions have organised the southern event in Oxford as it is close to Prime Minister David Cameron’s constituency of Witney.

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said he had been told up to 10,000 people would turn up, though organisers are not confirming the figure at this stage.

Mr Price said: “The rally is being led by the teaching unions and this estimate about the number of people it could attract has come from them.

“With such a large number of people taking part, the rally will have to be carefully managed because there is potential for major disruption to shoppers and other people in the city centre.”

Graham Jones, of city centre traders’ association ROX, said: “It is a busy period with the tourist season upon us and Broad Street is very popular.

“I hope it won’t have a negative impact but it depends on how big the march is going to be and how long they stay in Broad Street.”

Teachers will be coached in from across the South East and the Midlands to the event, with others coming by train from London.

Gawain Little, secretary of the local branch of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said: “We are expecting a lot of people.

“We called these rallies on this day because we want to send a really clear signal to this government.

“The reason we chose Oxford is because of its proximity to the Prime Minister’s constituency.

“This is very much a continuation of our strike action last year and we think it will really galvanise people.”

Last night Mr Little was unable to confirm how many people would be taking part in the rally.

But Peter Fryer, local branch secretary of Unison, also confirmed some of his members would be taking part.

The city council, which deals with road closures, said it had no record of any application covering Broad Street on that day and highways authority Oxfordshire County Council had also not received an application.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth said: “The teachers’ pay conditions are nationally negotiated and I can understand people’s frustrations at seeing the reductions being made.

“But we are living in a financial crisis at the moment caused by the last Government. It is people’s right to demonstrate and I think anybody will appreciate the fact that they have chosen to march on a Saturday.”

Mr Little said the NUT had been in touch with the police and the city council.

Thames Valley Police said they had “standard procedures” for dealing with these rallies.”

The other rally is taking place in Sheffield because Nick Clegg, the deputy Prime Minister, has his constituency there.

* Tax workers from Oxford joined a 24-hour strike yesterday to protest against job cuts and “creeping privatisation”.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) stayed away from their jobs at HM Revenue & Customs at Oxford Business Park to show their anger at plans to cut 10,000 HMRC posts by 2014/2015.

A sketelon staff were believed to be running departments at Trinity House, but a recorded message warned that enquiries would take much longer to be dealt with, due to the strike action.