THE Scottish Greens called on the British government today to abolish lower minimum wage rates for young workers.

The legal minimum now stands at £12.21, but for workers aged 18 to 20 it is £10 and for those under 18 it is just £7.55.

TUC research has found that more than 700,000 18 to 20-year-olds across Britain could be missing out on an average of £2,400 a year because they are not eligible for the full minimum wage.

Marking Living Wage Week, Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman said: “Why should workers be paid different rates to do the same job? Young people don’t get a discount on their rent or their food bills because of their age.”

The party is calling for all workers to be covered by the real living wage, set by the Living Wage Foundation, which is currently £13.45 an hour.

A government spokesperson said: “We are taking action to end discriminatory age bands when setting the minimum wage and we aim to continue our progress towards a single wage rate for adults, without negatively impacting younger workers.”