Scots unsure of redundancy rights, CAS finds

More than eight out of ten Scots are unsure of their rights during a redundancy process, according to new research by Citizens Advice Scotland.

With 84 per cent of people saying they are not confident of their rights, the study, conducted by the Diffley Partnership, also found that 39 per cent of people in work or on furlough are worried about the security of their job in the next 12 months.

Overall 55 per cent said they knew nothing or not very much about their rights, with a further 29 per cent only knowing a little.

The survey found that concerns are broadly universal across age groups and geographic locations, although they are significantly higher among those from lower income backgrounds.

The research comes as CAS launches a new Redundancy Rights campaign to support those concerned by job security during the pandemic.

CAS Social Justice spokesperson Mhoraig Green 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 per cent – not 80 per cent."