Many don't know the law or legal process
A staggering 84% of Scots aren’t confident about their rights during the redundancy process, a new poll for Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has found.
It comes as Scotland faces a “tidal wave of job losses” with the rights’ charity urging workers to familiarise themselves with the law as part of a campaign being hosted by CAS.
The research also reveals that 39% of people in work or on furlough are worried about the security of their job in the next 12 months.
More than half of respondents knew nothing or not very much about their rights, with a further 29% only knowing a little.
The campaign will run for the next two weeks across press, radio and social media.
Mhoraig Green, CAS Social Justice spokesperson, said: “Scotland is facing a tidal wave of job losses as the furlough scheme winds down while restrictions remain in place.
“What is concerning about this data is how many people aren’t confident about their rights during the redundancy process.
“Losing your job can be really challenging experience and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Our message to people is that they have rights during the process and the Citizens Advice network is here to help you understand them.
“People facing their last paycheque in a job should make sure they have all of their holiday pay and hours worked paid. If they’ve been on furlough they should remember that redundancy pay should be at 100% – not 80%
Mark Diffley, who undertook the research, said: “These figures show that there is significant public concern about job security over the next year; these concerns are broadly universal across age groups and geographic locations, although significantly higher among those from lower income backgrounds.
“That an overwhelming majority of people aren’t sure about their rights during the redundancy process shows the value and the need for Citizens Advice Scotland’s Redundancy Rights campaign, with young people and those from C2DE backgrounds having especially low levels of confidence in their rights.”
