Over half of young workers face credit card debt

Figures from a 1,000-strong survey carried out for the Unite trade union organisation suggest that more than half (51 per cent) of young workers feel they are vulnerable to exploitation by their employers.

In addition, the research revealed that around 34 per cent of workers aged 18 to 34 feel they are poorly paid for the work they do and 86 per cent owe either mortgage or rent repayments.

“The under 34s have spent all or most of their working life under a Labour government,” commented Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite.

“It is shameful that so many of them are getting a raw deal at work.”

Prime minister Tony Blair and the rest of the government are this week marking the tenth anniversary of the Labour party’s landslide victory in the 1997 general election.