Call to end low wage and zero-hours contract culture

A major new report is to demand an end to employment practises which are trapping many Scots on low wages.

The results of a two year investigation by the Poverty Truth Commission (PTC) will be revealed next week.

It will form part of a three-pronged attack on poverty in modern Scotland, which includes damning findings by the Joseph Rowntree Foundationand the publication of the multi-charity Below The Breadline report, which unveiled the shocking extent of foodbank use.

Work which is low paid, inflexible and where people don't know how many hours they are working from day to day does not help people to live more fulfilled lives

Amongst the PTC’s key recommendations will be an end to zero-hour contracts, the further implementation of the living wage and the development of a Good Employers Charter.

The PTC’s findings have been backed by the Church of Scotland and Faith in Community Scotland and are the result of input from charities, politicians and ordinary people experiencing low wages, high fuel costs and increased food poverty.

Martin Johnstone, secretary of the Poverty Truth Commission, said: “It is increasingly clear that work is not the route out of poverty that many continue to claim that it is. Work which is low paid, inflexible and where people don't know how many hours they are working from day to day does not help people to live more fulfilled lives.”

The findings will be revealed at Woodside Halls in Glasgow on Saturday, 21 June at the Turn Up the Volume on Poverty event.