In June, over 200 employers were named by Government for failing to pay their lowest-paid workers the minimum wage. These employers were found to have failed to pay their workers almost £5 million leaving around 63,000 workers out of pocket – these employers faced penalties of nearly £7 million.
The companies named range from major high-street brands to small businesses and sole traders.
Examples include:
- WH Smith failed to pay over £1m due to 17,607 workers
- Lloyds Pharmacy failed to pay £903k to 7,916 workers
- M&S failed to pay £578k to 5,363 workers
- Argos failed to pay £480k to 10,399 workers
The employers previously underpaid workers in the following ways:
- 39% of employers deducted pay from workers’ wages.
- 39% of employers failed to pay workers correctly for their working time.
- 21% of employers paid the incorrect apprenticeship rate.
