A cleaning company has been “named and shamed” by the government for failing to pay a worker the National Minimum Wage (NMW).
Holmes Cleaning Company in Worksop was included in the latest list of employers who have failed to meet their NMW obligations.
Between them, the 37 employers owe workers more than £177,000 in arrears and have also received financial penalties totalling over £51,000.
Holmes Cleaning was named for failing to pay just £240.48 to one worker but the worst offender, estate agents Kings Group LLP, in Hertfordshire, neglected to pay £53,808.91 to 53 people.
Releasing the list on 15 January, Business Minister Jo Swinson said: “Paying less than the minimum wage is illegal, immoral and completely unacceptable.
“If employers break this law they need to know that we will take tough action by naming, shaming and fining them as well as helping workers recover the hundreds of thousands of pounds in pay owed to them.
We are also looking at what more we can do to make sure workers are paid fairly in the first place. As well as being publicly named and shamed, employers that fail to pay their workers the National Minimum Wage face penalties of up to £20,000. We are legislating through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill so that this penalty can be applied to each underpaid worker rather than per employer.”
The tough penalties involved, plus the reputational damage caused by being “named and shamed”, reinforce the importance to employers of paying the NMW, which currently stands at £6.50 per hour for adult employers.
At Palmers Solicitors, we can advise on all aspects of employment law, including those relating to the national minimum wage and other statutory payments, such as maternity and paternity pay and sick pay. Our HR package also offers regularly updated sample policies for these issues.
For more information and guidance, please visit our website or contact Lara Murray.