'Majority unsure of redundancy rights' amid Covid pandemic

More than eight in ten people (84%) in Scotland are not confident about their rights during the redundancy process, research has found.

The study for Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) also found that almost four in ten (39%) people in work or on furlough are worried about the security of their job in the next 12 months.

CAS has launched a redundancy rights campaign encouraging people to find out about their rights as the country faces a “tidal wave” of job losses amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The research also found that more than half of respondents (55%) knew nothing or not very much about their rights, while almost a third (29%) said they only knew a little.

CAS social justice spokeswoman 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 a 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 pay cheque 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% – not 80%.”

CAS urged anyone facing redundancy to check its online advice.

It has produced a checklist of ten top tips for people to refer to when they face redundancy, which include finding out if they are entitled to any coronavirus-related support and checking their insurance policies to see if they provide any support.

The fieldwork, carried out by the Diffley Partnership, was conducted between October 12 and 16 and received 1031 responses.

Mark Diffley, who undertook the research, said: “These figures show that there is significant public concern about job security over the next year; these concerns are broadly universal across age groups and geographic locations, although significantly higher among those from lower income backgrounds.”