Nearly 400 companies, including household names such as Costa, Bupa Care Services, Hays Travel and Norwich City FC, have been named and shamed by the Government for failing to pay the minimum wage. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) identified 389 firms that underpaid workers, resulting in £12.6 million in penalties and forcing companies to repay £7.3 million in owed wages.
ISS Mediclean Ltd was the worst offender, failing to pay over £1.5 million to 6,580 workers, while ISS Facility Services Ltd underpaid more than 5,300 employees by over £750,000. Coffee giant Costa failed to pay £149,851.25 to 2,759 workers, and Norwich City FC underpaid 1,152 people by nearly £100,000. Other firms on the list include Browns Manufacturing, Busy Bees Nurseries, Hovis, and Just Go Travel.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: "The vast majority of businesses in this country do the right thing by paying their staff properly and playing by the rules. It's not fair on them when others are able to get ahead by not paying the wages their workers are owed." Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden added: "Nobody should finish a week's work and find they've been paid less than they've earned."
Currently, firms must pay over-21s £12.21 an hour, rising to £12.71 next month. Those aged 18-20 are entitled to £10 an hour, set to increase to £10.85, and under-18s and apprentices must receive at least £7.55, rising to £8. The list is the first naming round after Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed to regularly publish offending companies.
An ISS spokesman said the underpayments resulted from "unintentional errors" in calculating paid time between September 2017 and September 2023, and remediation has been arranged. A Bupa spokesperson cited a "historic underpayment" related to uniforms and accommodation, which was swiftly resolved. Hays Travel attributed the issue to a "technical issue in 2019" that was rectified.
