Employers Named and Shamed for National Minimum Wage Breaches
37 firms across the UK have been recently named and shamed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS) for not paying the National Minimum Wage to employees. Fines for non payment have totalled £51,000 and affected staff will also receive £177,000 in under paid wages.
Whilst there were various small businesses named by the DBIS, larger firms such as clothes retailer H&M and service station operator Welcome Break were among the firms in breach of the National Minimum Wage.
Since 2013, the government has named 55 employers who have underpaid staff, in a bid to encourage employers to ensure full compliance.
Current National Minimum Wage rates are as follows:
- Adult rate (21 and over) – £6.50 per hour
- 18 to 20-year-olds – £5.13 per hour
- 16 to 17-year-olds – £3.79 per hour
- Apprentice rate – £2.73 per hour
Whilst some of the firms named have claimed that underpayments were due to administrative errors, employers are being urged to ensure that their pay processes and systems ensure that any increases due to age changes are applied.