Last year my son was offered the opportunity to become a line manager for a well-known fast food chain at a busy late-night outlet in Glasgow city centre where he had worked part-time for the previous two years. The job would have involved handling a team of approximately eight to 10 people, and at least one “overnight” shift finishing at 4am every couple of weeks.

Though his long-term professional goals lie elsewhere, a successful stint in management is a definite bonus on the CV of an 18-year-old, as he was then. It also came with a decent pay bump to £9.50 per hour, £2 more than he had been earning on the statutory minimum for someone of his age at that time.

But there was an upshot: because of the variations in the UK minimum wage between those under the age of 18, those aged 18 to 20, and those who are older, my son would have been earning 68p to 92p per hour less than anyone aged 21 or older who was under his management.

READ MORE: Labour pledges a ban as Scots zero-hour contracts hit record levels

Though a relatively small sum on an hourly basis, it racks up over the course of a pay period, and it just didn’t feel right. He was annoyed by the principle, and after several days of deliberation he turned down the job and handed in his notice.

He’s now happily working part time at another city centre venue where he finishes by midnight at the latest and can therefore get home by public transport, avoiding the costly necessity of travelling by taxi after a 4am finish. My son’s new employer has been faultlessly flexible in........

© Herald Scotland