The Government recently published a list of 518 businesses who had failed to pay their workers at the national minimum wage between 2015 and 2022.
In total, nearly 60,000 workers were underpaid by over £7.4 million. This is down from the last round of naming and shaming, published in February 2024, in which over 170,000 workers were underpaid nearly £16 million.
Amongst the top underpayers were:
- Lidl Great Britain Limited, Merton, SW19, failed to pay £286,437.18 to 3,423 workers.
- British Airways PLC, Harmondsworth, UB7, failed to pay £231,276.10 to 2,165 workers and
- Halfords Ltd, Redditch, B98, failed to pay £140,829.79 to 4,341 workers.
All employers on the list, the Government has said, have since repaid their staff and have faced financial penalties of up to 200% of their underpayment.
Minister for Employment Rights, Justin Madders has committed to continuing to naming organisations that don’t pay their employees what they are owed, in breach of the law, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.
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On that, he said: “Ensuring workers have the support they need and making sure they receive a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work is a key commitment in our Plan for Change. This will put more money in working people’s pockets, helping to boost productivity and ending low pay.”
Baroness Philippa Stroud, Chair of the Low Pay Commission, has welcomed the publication of the list and said:
“Underpayment leaves workers out of pocket and disadvantages the majority of employers who do abide by the rules.
These naming rounds play an important part in ensuring that all workers receive their full wages and that they are aware there is support for them to ensure that they do.”
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