Nearly a fifth of workers unsure of employment rights, according to Citizens Advice Scotland

Nearly a fifth of workers in Scotland are unsure of their employment rights, according to figures from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS).

A survey from YouGov, conducted in March, found 15 per cent of Scots were not very confident about their rights in the workplace, while a further four per cent said they were not at all confident.

YouGov found 26 per cent were very confident of their rights, while 51 per cent said they were fairly confident.

With CAS launching a campaign to widen awareness of workers’ rights in relation to areas such as sick pay, Grahame Smith, General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, said the polling “clearly show that there is more work to be done to ensure that everyone knows their rights in the workplace”.

He said: “The STUC is clear that the best way to protect your employment rights is to join a trade union.  We recognise that for those who have not yet joined a trade union that Citizens Advice Scotland can play an important advisory role and signpost people further, and we’d support future cooperation on this.”

The poll, conducted online, was based in a sample of 2,078 adults, of which 983 are workers. Fieldwork was undertaken 12 and 23rd March.

CAS Social Justice spokesperson Mhoraig Green said: “It’s important that people understand their basic entitlements so they can stand up against unfair treatment and discrimination at work.

“The citizens advice network in Scotland helps and advocates for hundreds of thousands of people every year, including cases of bad treatment in the workplace. These figures back up what we see across our network - too many people simply don’t know what their rights are. 

“People should know that their local Citizens Advice Bureau is there to help if they have a question about how they have been treated at work. That help is free, impartial and confidential.”