On February 20, 2024, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) unveiled a list of 524 employers who fell short of meeting the national minimum wage (NMW) following investigations conducted by HMRC between 2015 and 2023. The investigation resulted in the repayment of nearly £16 million to over 172,000 workers, with maximum penalties of up to 200% of the underpayment.
The common reasons included:
- Deductions from wages for various items including food, uniforms, equipment, childcare costs and salary sacrifice schemes.
- Instances of unpaid working time, stretching from pre- and post-shift work to rounded clock-in times and unpaid travel time.
- Failures to pay the correct rate to apprentices, inaccuracies in applying accommodation offsets and discrepancies in paying workers based on their work type.
This latest revelation serves as a reminder to employers of the importance of adhering to NMW regulations.
The list can be located here: Over 500 companies named for not paying minimum wage – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
