Ryan Russell

The research, carried by the Diffley Partnership, also reveals that 39 per cent of people in work or on furlough are worried about the security of their job in the next 12 months. 

More than half of respondents (55 per cent) knew nothing or not very much about their rights, with a further 29 per cent only knowing a little. 

CAS commissioned the polling as part of their Redundancy Rights campaign, which launches today. 

The campaign will run for the next two weeks across press, radio and social media.

CAS Social Justice spokesperson 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 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 paycheque 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 per cent – not 80 per cent.”

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.

“That an overwhelming majority of people aren’t sure about their rights during the redundancy process shows the value and the need for Citizens Advice Scotland’s Redundancy Rights campaign, with young people and those from C2DE backgrounds having especially low levels of confidence in their rights.”

Ryan Russell of MML Legal said: “It is extremely alarming that so many people are unsure of their rights with regards to redundancy. In the current climate it is essential that people get informed.

“There are so many different ways this can be done. The starting point should be the employment contract or the companies policies of procedures. Failing that, there is a lot of helpful information online. The .gov.uk website is particularly helpful. Then there is ACAS, CAB, legal firms and law clinics.”