202 employers have been named and shamed in a government press release for failing to pay almost £5 million to 63,000 workers in breach of the national minimum wage (NMW) legislation. The employers on the list have since paid back what they owed, and they also faced penalties of nearly £7 million. The employers named include major high street brands such as Argos, WH Smith, Marks and Spencer and Lloyds Pharmacy. The named employers underpaid workers in the following ways:

• 39% deducted pay from workers’ wages
• 39% failed to pay workers correctly for their working time
• 21% paid the incorrect apprenticeship rate.

In the press release, the government points out that whilst not all NMW underpayments are intentional, there is no excuse for underpaying workers. 

The press release also includes an educational bulletin which focuses on unpaid working time given that a significant number of the NMW breaches by the named employers related to this.

Source: New feed