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Internet retail giants Amazon are still refusing to pay Scottish workers the real living wage – despite vowing to consider introducing the rate almost two years ago.

The controversial firm told ministers they would look at paying employees £8.75 an hour during meetings with them 18 months ago.

The US company have received £5.3million in state handouts but staff at distribution centres in Fife and Inverclyde are still earning well below the benchmark championed by the Scottish Government.

Campaigners and politicians have demanded Amazon – owned by the world’s richest man Jeff Bezos – start paying workers the decent wages they deserve.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “Amazon have a

terrible record on workers’ rights and fair pay and conditions – we need to see real progress on this, not more hollow promises.

(Image: Daily Record)

“It’s been well over a year since the SNP Government claimed they were lobbying them on the living wage and nothing appears to have changed.

“The SNP Government should be doing everything they can to ensure fair labour conditions for the people who work for Amazon.

“Instead, ministers have channelled millions of pounds of taxpayer cash to a non-union company with an awful record on workers’ rights and tax avoidance.

“This is our money – we should be laying down the rules.

“That’s why Labour would use the money the Government spend on public contracts and regional selective assistance to drive up standards.”

(Image: PA)

Keith Brown, cabinet secretary for fair work, met with Amazon in December 2016 in a bid to convince the company to pay the real living wage.

But the Scottish Government have accepted that convincing the firm to pay the rate set by the Living Wage Foundation is still an “ambition”.

A spokesman said: “Scotland punches well above its weight in terms of the proportion of people paid at least the living wage, including the highest proportion of people in the UK.

“Amazon have brought a significant number of jobs to Scotland.

“We are in continued dialogue with the firm to ensure these jobs are of good quality and pay rates which are in keeping with our ambition to see the real living wage replace the national minimum wage.”

When the Sunday Mail asked Amazon whether they were paying the real living wage in Scotland, a spokesman directed us to a website that said “fulfilment centre employees” would earn £8.35 after two years’ service.

The rate is still 40p short and the web page did not give details of the pay new employees would start on.

An Amazon spokesman said: "Amazon is proud to be a significant contributor to the economy in Scotland, including investing hundreds of millions of pounds in our Scottish operations over the past five years and today supporting around 2,500 competitively paid jobs at our development centre and customer service centre in Edinburgh, and fulfilment centres in Gourock and Dunfermline."

Mhairi McAlpine worked at Amazon’s Dunfermline warehouse over Christmas 2015.

(Image: Daily Record)

She said staff were made to sign an EU working time directive opt-out form, allowing the company to insist on compulsory overtime, and reported an atmosphere of “oppressive discipline”.

It has also emerged workers sometimes slept in tents outside the depot between long shifts.

The real living wage is set by the Living Wage Foundation and is based on independent assessments of what people need to get by.

A spokesman for Living Wage Scotland said: “We’d encourage all employers, including Amazon, to offer the real living wage to their staff and become accredited as a Living Wage employer.

“Living Wage employers report it has improved their recruitment, increasing staff retention and boosting productivity.”