'Do the right thing' - know your rights at work
Citizens Advice Scotland is launching a two-week campaign urging young people to find out their rights
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has today launched ‘Do the Rights Thing’, a new campaign to raise awareness among young people in Scotland of their employment rights.
The campaign will run from two weeks from Monday 4th November and aims to raise awareness among young people of their rights at work and where they can seek advice online.
It will always empower them to take action when their rights are not being upheld and encourage young people to share their experiences of bad work places via an online interactive form.
Employment is the second biggest issue Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland give advice on to young people, particularly in relation to pay and entitlements as well as terms and conditions.
Alongside the advice pages, CAS has launched a new online tool enabling young people under 25 years old to submit their experiences of horrible bosses, dodgy pay, long hours and other bad work experiences.
As part of the campaign, Citizens Advice Bureaux also will be holding sessions with young people in their area and CAS is working in partnership with organisations, including national trade union bodies, whose work is essential in upholding employment rights.
Citizens Advice Scotland’s Social Justice spokesperson, Nina Ballantyne, said: ''Finding work can be hard enough as a young person which means it can be tempting to ignore or put up with bad conditions if you do get a job.
''The cycle of insecure work, low pay and limited opportunities is really tough, especially if you’re not sure of your rights.
“Our ‘Do the Rights Thing’ campaign will help young people understand their employment rights and how to take action if those rights are not being upheld.
“The Advice for Scotland site has easy to understand, comprehensive information of rights in the workplace, how to solve issues and who else you can turn to for help when you are faced with a serious problem.
“As part of the campaign we’re also gathering examples online of young people’s bad experiences in the workplaces. Our innovative approach will allow us to reach out through the channels young people are using and will help build our evidence base to support our calls for a fair deal for young people.
“You don’t have to give your name or personal details if you don’t want to and by taking part we’ll be able to better stand up for young people across Scotland.”
Sessions are already taking place with young people is a peer mentor scheme being delivered through Parkhead Citizens Advice Bureau in Glasgow.
As part of the scheme, young people have been trained to deliver peer-led workshops with other young people in their community and many have also achieved a Community Achievement Award at SCQF Level 6 (the equivalent of a Higher) with Glasgow Kelvin College.
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