Minimum wage non-payers shamed

The government has named 139 employers found to have failed to pay 95,000 staff the national minimum wage between 2016 and 2018. The underpayments totalled £6.7 million, with the guilty companies ranging from small businesses up to household names such as Tesco, Superdrug and Pizza Hut

Bryan Sanderson, chair of the Low Pay Commission, commented: “There can be no excuses for non-compliance with the minimum wage rates. The companies concerned should be deeply ashamed of their performance.”

He explained: “One of the main causes of minimum wage breaches was low-paid employees being made to cover work costs, which would eat into their pay packet, such as paying for uniform, training or parking fees.

“Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates. They also face hefty financial penalties of up to 200% of arrears – capped at £10,000 per worker – which are paid to the government. Each of the companies named today have paid back their workers, and were forced to pay financial penalties.”

Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite general union, wanted more action: "If the government is serious about putting a stop to these thefts we need vastly more inspectors and on the spot payroll inspections by trade unions.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rogue-employers-named-and-shamed-for-failing-to-pay-minimum-wage

https://unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2020/december/mccluskey-more-inspectors-and-on-the-spot-payroll-checks-by-unions-needed-to-prove-government-serious-about-stopping-minimum-wage-cheats