Hundreds of businesses were fined for not paying their workers enough.
389 employers from all over the UK have been listed for not paying their workers the minimum wage to tens of thousands of workers.
Employers were told to pay back more than £7.3 million in salaries owing to workers to help some of the lowest-paid staff with their living costs.
Almost 400 businesses, including well-known brands, will have to pay £12.6 million in fines for not paying the minimum wage.
About 60,000 workers were found to have been paid less than they should have been because businesses who flout the laws are punished.
As part of the government’s latest effort to crack down on companies that don’t pay the minimum wage, thousands of hard-working Brits have been personally given back over £7.3 million that they were owed.
Along with the findings, firms that don’t pay their employees the legal National Minimum Wage will face enforcement action. This makes it obvious that workers won’t have to pay for the mistakes or carelessness of their employers, no matter how big or well-known they are.
New numbers reveal that 389 employers have been fined a total of about £12.6 million, which is in addition to the earnings that were handed back.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said:
Most firms in this country do the right thing by following the rules and paying their employees fairly. It isn’t fair for them to get ahead while other people don’t pay their workers what they owe them.
A decent boss doesn’t grow their business on unpaid wages. I’m excited to work with the new Fair Work Agency to make sure it uses its powers to punish people who think the rules don’t apply to them.
Data released today, which can be seen in the notes to editors of this press release, shows that enterprises in a variety of fields, including as social care, sports, and retail, were not following minimum wage rules.
This is the first “naming round” since the Chancellor promised to disclose more often in the Budget. This puts more pressure on firms to keep their payroll up to date and gives workers more confidence that when their boss treats them badly, they will obtain justice quickly.
Kate Dearden, the Minister of Employment Rights, said:
No one should end a week of work and discover that they were paid less than they were owed. I think that a fair day’s work should get a fair day’s compensation.
That’s why we’re going after employers who don’t pay enough. We are making sure that workers get the money they worked hard for.
I urge all employers to check their payrolls so they don’t get caught.
This is also the last round of naming before the Fair Work Agency starts its work on April 7. This is a brand-new enforcement organization that was created by the recently approved Employment Rights Act to bring all of the enforcement of workers’ rights under one roof for the first time.
The Fair Work Agency will have more power to make sure that workers get every cent they are owed by giving companies a single, easy-to-use place to get advice on how to respect the regulations.
This includes making sure that people pay the minimum wage, and soon it will also go after people that flout the law by not paying sick and vacation pay.
The news today also comes before more hikes to the minimum wage. For full-time workers over the age of 21, the lowest earners will get an extra £900 a year. The government is showing that it is committed to helping people throughout the UK with the cost of living by extending Statutory Sick Pay to 3 million more workers, freezing the 5p fuel duty cut, and capping energy costs so that households can save £117 on their bills next month.
Here is a list of employers who have been named for not paying the National Minimum Wage: