Scottish Labour Conference: USDAW says it's ‘time for better pay’

8th March 2019

Usdaw's delegation to Scottish Labour Conference, which starts today 8 March 2019 in Dundee, will be raising deep concerns about the continued growth of in-work poverty and the Scottish Government's failure to tackle this issue.

Stewart Forrest - Usdaw Divisional Officer for Scotland says: "Too many jobs in Scotland are insecure, without guaranteed hours or income. This has contributed to a shocking 52% increase in the number of children living in poverty in a household with a working parent since 2010.

"Usdaw’s ‘time for better pay’ survey found that at least 470,000 Scottish workers have to rely on unsecured loans to pay essential bills and 55% of them are struggling with the repayments. Furthermore, Usdaw’s evidence suggests that 10% of working people in Scotland are likely to be missing meals to pay bills.

“Conference is clear that it is Time for Better Pay. We are calling on Scottish Labour to support and campaign for a better deal for low paid workers."

Usdaw is calling for:

Young workers to be paid the full adult rate.

£10 per hour minimum wage rate.

Tackling zero and short hours contracts through a statutory minimum contract of 16 hours per week, for those who want it.

A statutory right to an employment contract which reflects an individual’s normal hours of work.

An immediate halt to the roll-out of Universal Credit and a radical overhaul of social security.