Raise the Scottish Minimum Wage to Meet the Scottish Living Wage!
I have been out of work for some time now and I’m just starting to get back on track but looking for work in the northeast right now is like looking for the Loch Ness monster - we all heard the stories, some of us even believed them, the occasional sighting too perhaps but deep down we all know there’s nothing out there. I don’t mean to be flippant but as I am preparing to renter the workforce, I can’t help but feel I am at the foot of an enormous mountain and the thought of going into a job at age 37 that will leave me barely able afford the most basic of necessities, leaves me totally disillusioned with the whole thing.
This past year has been a huge eye-opener for me though. I have experienced first hand what it’s like to have to choose between food or electricity. I’ve walked that fine line between financial security and being in a hole because when you're unemployed there’s not much difference.
It’s not rocket science - the system is rigged against the poor and always has been. Relatively speaking the cost of living is less for better-off people than it is for the poor and I know this sounds counterintuitive but think about it, most people on the poverty line live from hand to mouth, on a day to day basis, a more wealthy person buys a fortnightly shop and saves money or are able to take advantage of sales and spontaneous deals. They earn enough to live and save. While poor people are forced to take payday loans at extortionate interest rates or worse sell their goods to stop from getting bank charges that would mean they couldn’t afford to eat or pay a bill. The real problems, however, lay with a minority - The super-wealthy, their money is constantly working for them with huge interest rates and even bigger tax cuts, the elite finance the politicians and in turn the politicians do their bidding. They don’t spend money like the rest of us, companies are all too willing to just give them the latest products to try because they want their business, whether its investments they want or they are simply looking after existing shareholders the results the same - the money stays in the banks keeping them happy, while the 1%’s interest soars to unprecedented heights.
If you agree with the above statement follow the link below sign my petition and share it with as many people as you can. I truly believe this is something that we as progressive, forward-thinking humans shouldn’t have to think about, it’s a no brainier. People working 50-60 hours a week who still need to visit the food bank once a month to feed their kids, needs to stop - it’s inhuman, we’re supposed to be leaders in democracy, at the forefront of progressive and new social ideas and yet there are 1,000,000 people living in persistent poverty today in Scotland - this is unacceptable.
To those who have already signed and shared, I thank you. Keep fighting the good fight and continue to question everything...