Labourers who were paid just £1.80 an hour are among a litany of shocking workplace exploitation cases in a report from a leading charity.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has handed the damning dossier containing hundreds of cases to the UK Government’s Low Pay Commission.
It details three foreign workers on a building site who received £150 for an 80-hour week and were fired when they complained about the appalling conditions.
Another of the charity’s clients was paid just £850 a month for a 50-hour week and refused a contract at a tattoo parlour in the north of Scotland.
CAS has demanded the formation of a new national watchdog to crack down on unscrupulous employers.
The charity’s social justice spokesperson, Mhoraig Green, said: “It’s clear that there are employers who are still ripping off workers. We help hundreds of thousands of people each year and employment matters have always been one of the biggest issues but the scale of some of the behaviour still shocks us.
“Cases involving those working in hospitality or retail appear to be particularly common as well as cases involving workers from outwith the UK who, in some instances, have been paid considerably below the minimum wage.
“The creation of a national organisation to enforce employment laws would stamp out illegal work practices and uphold the rights of workers.
“If they are worried about their pay or working hours or think their employer might be exploiting them, their local bureau is here to help.”
CAS is backing a new body to have the powers to investigate national minimum wage breaches along with allowing workers to confidentially report things such as breaches of their maternity, holiday, sickness, pay, dismissal, redundancy and other rights.
It comes after a report, published by the Resolution Foundation think tank earlier this week, found one in 20 workers doesn’t have access to paid holidays.
The Sunday Mail’s Horrible Bosses campaign, which featured Amazon and DPD among others, highlighted shocking examples of workplace exploitation.
It is estimated that more than 150,000 people in Scotland are being paid at or below the absolute legal minimum.
Many will not even know from week to week if they will earn enough cash to pay their bills due to zero-hour contracts.
There are also examples of tips being withheld from bar staff, while thousands live in dread of bullying and harassment.
CAS said it was contacted about 47,254 workplace issues last year.
