Unite the union has called for a rebalancing of Scotland’s economy which it claims is heading down a “Victorian” path.
The group’s Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said it was a scandal that people in Scotland were “working for their poverty” and said they had become victims of a “rigged vampire economy” that favoured those at the top of the corporate tree.
“Employers now think they can get away with having workers on zero hour contracts, pretending they’re self-employed when they’re really employees, and paying wages that keep them and their families in poverty,” Mr Rafferty said.
The message follows a string of controversies involving major retailers and they way they treat their workers.
The union said its campaign to improve working conditions for staff at Sports Direct’s major warehouse – the company made reparations to workers after allegations about low pay – was a highlight of its year.
“In 2017, with the support of workers, we will look to build on those successes and deliver a better future for all of us,” Mr Rafferty said.
“And government needs to help. It needs to scrap anti-worker trade union laws.
“It needs to give workers a long-overdue pay rise through a boost to the national minimum wage.
“It needs to make sure that companies that blacklist workers are not awarded public contracts, and that those companies who make profits from the public purse properly reward their workers.
“And it needs to make sure that the bargaining rights of workers are strengthened and respected.
“That’s as true for our government in Holyrood as it is for our government in Westminster.”