Samaritans Scotland hosted an event on 22nd January at the Scottish Parliament to highlight their report, ‘‘Paid Yesterday, Broke Today"
Samaritans Scotland held a drop-in event at the Scottish Parliament, to highlight the "Paid Yesterday, Broke Today" report and its recommendations to Members of the Scottish Parliament.
The report was co-produced alongside people with lived experience, ensuring the voices of those who have lived through financial and employment insecurity were reflected and visible within the report and its recommendations. Dave Morris, Policy Manager at Samaritans Scotland, presented the findings of the report to MSPs and talked through the experiences shared by the participants.
MSPs were told of how the pressure of insufficient pay, poverty, and stigma resulted in a sense of being trapped in debt. For the participants in this report, these factors contributed to suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
The report set out a number of recommendations which were discussed with parliamentarians, including exploring a minimum income guarantee, prioritising social connection, and encouraging workplaces to ensure they have suicide prevention plans in place, as well as providing training and development opportunities to employees.
Speaking about the report, Samaritans Scotland’s Executive Director, Neil Mathers, said:
"Too many people in Scotland are finding that their hard work is not providing an income that can cover their basic needs. For many, there is no certainty about when they will get their next shift, or how long a job will last. These experiences take their toll."
"Suicide is preventable. Our hope is that this report can play a part in giving a voice to people in Scotland experiencing insecurity in pay and work, and begin to build a better Scotland where work, pay and social security function together to saves lives."
The drop-in event was hosted by Paul Sweeney, Scottish Labour; Gillian Mackay, Scottish Greens; and Brian Whittle, Scottish Conservatives, with a number of MSPs from across the political spectrum coming along to hear the presentation and find out more.