Young workers getting ripped off, says FM
Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that young Scots were having to put up with rip-off wages and that the minimum wage for under-25s must be increased.
The national minimum wage is currently set at £8.21 for employees aged 25 and over, and reduces in line with age, with under-18s receiving £4.35 per hour.
The First Minister said: “Even before Brexit takes away so many opportunities for our young people, the Tories are already short-changing them with their discriminatory minimum wage policy. “Two people working alongside each other, doing the same job, could be paid entirely different wages, just because of their age. That is simply not fair. “Around 89,000 young people in Scotland would be better off and able to get a better start in their working lives if they were simply paid the same legal living wage as their older colleagues.” Nicola Sturgeon was campaigning in Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson’s constituency of East Dunbartonshire and was joined by SNP candidate, Amy Callaghan, who hopes to overturn Ms Swinson’s 5,339 majority.
Ms Sturgeon also used the visit to take a swipe at Ms Swinson’s claims that she can become the next Prime Minister.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I think it’s unlikely Jo Swinson is going to be Prime Minister. What worries me about Jo Swinson is, if there’s a hung parliament, she’ll end up putting the Tories back into Downing Street.
“Jo Swinson was a member of David Cameron’s government. That government started austerity, cut welfare and increased tuition fees.”