Citizens Advice Scotland has launched ‘Do the Rights Thing’, a new campaign to raise awareness among young people in Scotland of their employment rights.
The campaign will run for the next two weeks and aims to:
- Raise awareness among young people of their rights at work and where they can seek advice online;
- Empower them to take action when their rights are not being upheld;
- Encourage young people to share their experiences of bad work places via an online form.
Employment is the second biggest issue Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland give advice on to young people, particularly in relation to pay and entitlements as well as terms and conditions, with CAS data on clients under 25 showing that that around 1 in 5 are seeking advice on employment issue.
CAS’s Advice for Scotland website has detailed information on rights in the workplace and can be found by visiting https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/dotherightsthing/
Alongside these advice pages, CAS has launched a new online tool enabling young people under 25 years old to submit their experiences of horrible bosses, dodgy pay, long hours and other bad work experiences. The tool can be found here.
As part of the campaign, Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland will also be holding sessions with young people in their area.
Launching the campaign, Citizens Advice Scotland’s Social Justice spokesperson, Nina Ballantyne, said: “Finding work can be hard enough as a young person which means it can be tempting to ignore or put up with bad conditions if you do get a job.
“Whether it’s their right to the minimum wage, holiday or sick pay or joining a trade union, the employment landscape can be confusing for younger workers.
“The cycle of insecure work, low pay and limited opportunities is really tough, especially if you’re not sure of your rights.
“Our ‘Do the Rights Thing’ campaign will help young people understand their employment rights and how to take action if those rights are not being upheld.
“The Advice for Scotland site has easy to understand, comprehensive information of rights in the workplace, how to solve issues and who else you can turn to for help when you are faced with a serious problem.
“As part of the campaign we’re also gathering examples online of young people’s bad experiences in the workplaces. Our innovative approach will allow us to reach out through the channels young people are using and will help build our evidence base to support our calls for a fair deal for young people.
“You don’t have to give your name or personal details if you don’t want to and by taking part we’ll be able to better stand up for young people across Scotland.”
NUS Scotland President Liam McCabe said: “With students struggling to get by across the country, combining work with study is a necessity for all but the wealthiest.
“It is imperative that vulnerable students are protected from exploitation by unscrupulous employers and are guaranteed safe, secure work and a real Living Wage.
“We’re delighted to support Citizen Advice Scotland’s ‘Do the Rights Thing’ campaign. It’s absolutely crucial that students know their rights at work and can take action to ensure employers are upholding them.”
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