ZERO-HOURS contracts must be stamped out in the hospitality industry to stop unscrupulous practices and badly paid and unsafe working conditions, according to unions and campaigners who are calling for the Scottish Government to better protect the rights of young workers.

The Unite union claims that it has been approached by dozens of Scottish workers from cafes, bars, restaurants and food delivery services in recent days, who are reporting low pay, zero hours contracts, sexual harassment, unfair charges for uniform, spillages and breakages, long shifts without breaks, and work cancelled without notice.

It comes as workers at McDonald's fast-food chain in London and Cambridge prepare to make history tomorrow by staging the company's first UK strike in protest at zero-hours contracts and to demand pay rises to £10 per hour. The company claims it has given staff three recent pay increases and will end zero-hours contracts by the end of the year, although it may only guarantee a minimum of four hours per week.

Last week the manager of Glasgow's Via Italia cafe resigned after young female staff complained they were bullied, verbally abused and intimidated while at work. The case was highlighted by STUC-backed campaign Better than Zero, with organisers claiming that within days they received around 50 other complaints, unrelated to Via Italia, about poor treatment in other companies as a result of the exploitative zero-hours culture.

Complaints included staff claiming they were not paid for trial shifts. One waitress in Bellshill, who said she was regularly underpaid, called in sick from hospital after a lumbar puncture but was told she had the responsibility to cover the shift regardless. Sandwich shop workers raised safety concerns about locking up on their own at night in city centres without back-up and young female bar staff expressed fears about being sexually harassed by customers while on duty without managers present.

Young workers at cafes, bars and restaurants told the Sunday Herald that they had been let go without notice and had not received pay for the work they had done. Some had turned up at work to find the company had changed hands and new locks fitted, leaving them without a job or income. One Deliveroo rider said £150 for a branded bag and jacket was deducted from her pay without warning. The company claims that paying for the items is now voluntary.

Others on zero-hours contracts said they struggling to get proper sick pay, were forced to work 10-hour shifts without meal or toilet breaks, and their availability for shifts was ignored with threats made that they would not get more work if they did not comply.

Last week research from the Mental Health Foundation Scotland linked low pay, job insecurity and mental health problems with increased suicide risk.

Hospitality is Scotland's poorest-paid industry with the average hotel worker paid £7 per hour. Minimum wage for over 25 year olds is £7.50, and £7.05 for 21 year olds.

Sarah Collins, of Better Than Zero, said urgent action was needed. "These employers are showing a blatant disregard for health and safety, wellbeing, and basic rights of workers across Scotland who contribute to one of the top three industries in Scottish economy," she said.

"We would call on the Scottish Government to do everything in their power to encourage employers to allow trade union recognition in their workplaces by highlighting the benefits. For employers who continue to bully, harass, underpay and discriminate against their own workers, these companies should be named and shamed with any Investors in People awards taken off them, no tax incentives given, or any other measure which would hit them where it hurts their pockets."

Investors in People said that more must be done to protect young people on zero hours contracts.Yesterday Better Than Zero campaigners staged a protest outside the Grosvenor cinema and cafe in Ashton Lane in Glasgow, owned by the restaurant chain G1 group, where 10 workers were sacked this week. The company claims they are guilty of gross misconduct by misusing staff discount codes, however the protestors claim they have been unfairly treated. In 2015, G1 had its Investors in People award removed.

A GI spokesperson said that it did not normally respond to "unfounded allegations" but because of "systematic bullying" by campaigners and a "personal vendetta" by Better Than Zero it had taken legal advice, and made Police Scotland aware of the alleged harassment of its employees by protestors. The company also says that it has acted in compliance with all legislation and claims it has suffered reputational damage caused by the campaign.

Bryan Simpson, of the Unite union's hospitality section, last month launched the Fair Fringe Campaign calling on Edinburgh festival venues to improve pay and conditions. He said: "There are so many high-profile companies out there who continue to ride rough-shod over basic employment rights. Our hospitality campaign seeks to change this, by giving workers the knowledge, skills and collective confidence to transform their workplaces for the benefit of all workers."

Stewart McDonald, SNP MP for Glasgow South, who is proposing a Private Members' Bill to end the practice of unpaid trial shifts, said he had received 60 responses, some "deeply troubling" to a consultation on the issue that closed last Thursday. The idea for the Bill was prompted by an advert placed earlier this year by a Glasgow cafe asking job applicants to do unpaid trial shifts of up to 40 hours.

"The law in this area is incredibly grey, and the nature of the workforce means that they are often not unionised. The opportunity for testing [these practises] in court is often out of their reach," he said. "People trying to secure work deserve to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect – and have full protection of the law to ensure they are not exploited."

Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Keith Brown said: "Making employees feel valued, rewarded and engaged in their work is good for a strong economy and we are using all powers at our disposal to encourage ethical business practice and drive inclusive economic growth. However, leaving the European Union and the employment protections it has put in place poses a direct threat to workers’ rights, and we will do all we can to ensure Brexit is not used by any UK Government to row back on the progress which has been made."

Almost 400 companies have already committed to the Scottish Business Pledge, which involves paying the Living Wage as well as commitments to equality and flexible working and avoiding exploitative zero hours contracts, he added – with 900 companies in Scotland now living wage employers, paying £8.45 per hour.

‘I worked so many hours my legs were swollen and I couldn’t stand up’

ERICA McClure, 22, who is studying textiles at Edinburgh University, claims she had been working for over a week last November before she was even given a contract. When it came it was zero hours and paid £7.05 per hour for her waitressing job in an Edinburgh bar-restaurant.

She quickly found that her request not to work after midnight, which she thought had been accepted, was regularly disregarded. “I had uni at 9am in the morning but I was rotaed on until 3am,” she said. “They [managers] said they would change it but they didn’t. I had given them my availability before I took the job but it was totally disregarded.”

It wasn’t the only time she felt her views didn’t count. “I’ve got a kidney condition but I was told I would need to wait to go to the toilet when it was busy,” she said.

Serving up to 160 people in a shift, she claims breaks were often “forgotten” by managers, leaving her to work for eight, nine or 10-hour shifts without a rest. When she did get a break, she ate leftover food in a small cupboard which served as the staff room.

She says her health suffered, once waking up with legs “so swollen I couldn’t stand up” after a long shift on her feet carrying heavy plates.

The crunch came at Hogmanay 2016 during a 5pm-3am shift. “At midnight I was given wrist bands and told to stand at the door and give them to those who had paid to come in.”

The problem was the venue had allegedly over-sold the event, which meant many who had paid were not on her list. “I heard that the managers were hiding in the kitchen,” she said. Eventually security stepped in and she was whisked inside and asked to start clearing glasses “with no apology”.

She quit a few days later and now works in McDonald’s where, despite another zero-hours contract, she gets her breaks and managers ensure her shifts work with her University commitments.

She claims her story is far from unique. “Some people abuse their power,” she said, “and young people just don’t know any better.”

The owners of the restaurant said the claims were “spurious and unfounded allegations”.

What good bosses can do

Unite is calling for employers to sign up to its Fair Hospitality Charter. It wants companies to provide:

1. The living wage of £8.45 per hour

2. Rest breaks of 20mins for every six worked and 11 hours between shifts

3. Equal pay for young workers with staff between 17-26 paid the same

4. Paid transport after midnight

5. Anti-sexual harassment policy

6. Minimum hours contracts