Usdaw raises concerns about age-related redundancy pay and seeks to tackle the far right

Tony Doonan – Usdaw regional secretary for Scotland says: “Tackling insecure work, through the Westminster Employment Rights Bill, and moving towards eliminating age-related pay for over-18s by changing the remit for the Low Pay Commission, will be significant for young workers. We are seeking to remove all age-related discrimination from the workplace. There remains ingrained age discrimination in the Statutory Redundancy Pay framework. While redundancy rates across Scotland have been falling, at the end of 2024, redundancy rates for those aged 16-24 were above pre-pandemic levels. We are asking conference delegates to support equitable redundancy pay and make that case to the Government’s upcoming consultation.”

Tony Doonan continued: “We are alarmed by the racist legacy left by the last Tory Government that has emboldened and legitimised far-right groups, increased levels of hate crime and fuelled racist, anti-migrant, transphobic, homophobic and misogynistic narratives in the media. Political parties with a far-right agenda are gaining traction, and young people are actively being targeted by far-right groups with extremist content and misinformation online. It is austerity and neglect, not asylum seekers or migrant workers, that are responsible for the decline in public services and wage stagnation. We cannot allow the far right to sow division in our workplaces and communities. Unions must continue to stand against prejudice, hatred and discrimination.”