National statistics show that more than half of the people living in relative poverty in the UK live in a household where at least one person works.
Around 288,000 people in Scotland live in this situation, with many experiencing subsequent problems such as debt, fuel poverty, benefit issues and low pay. Citizens Advice Scotland’s ‘Working at the Edge’ series of publications examines the growing problems caused by in-work poverty through the stories of the thousands of clients advised by citizens advice bureaux in Scotland, and makes recommendations for change.
In our first briefing of the series, we show that the National Minimum Wage is only as effective as its enforcement and call for a public awareness campaign to ensure that workers are aware of their rights and for a Fair Employment Commission to help enforce them.