UK Government Names 658 Employers for Minimum Wage Failures

The Government of the United Kingdom published a list of 658 employers who failed to pay the National Minimum Wage, resulting in the recovery of £4 million for more than 27,000 workers. In addition to the back pay, the government issued £7 million in penalties to the non-compliant firms.

High-profile companies among those named include B&Q, which owed £456,934 to 4,530 workers, and Elysium Healthcare Holdings Limited, which owed £330,048 to 1,095 workers. B&Q stated the shortfalls were unintentional and stemmed from geographical allowance calculations. St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group attributed its failure to a technical compliance issue regarding salary sacrifice.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Minister for the Future of Work Kate Dearden emphasized that underpaying staff is illegal and announced that these lists will be published more regularly to ensure accountability. Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the TUC, supported the move, arguing that bosses who fail to pay the minimum wage deserve to be named and shamed.