Food and drink firms shamed over unpaid wages

By Laurence Gibbons

- Last updated on GMT

UK food and drink workers are owed unpaid wages
UK food and drink workers are owed unpaid wages

Related tags National minimum wage Minimum wage

Food and drink businesses have been named and shamed for owing employees almost £4,000 in wages in a report on 92 offending companies by the business minster.

Nick Boles named and shamed 15 food and drink businesses for owing £3,753.42 by failing to pay their workers the National Minimum Wage.

Including all 92 companies, £1.87M was owed to UK employees in arrears and covered sectors including food and drink, hairdressing, social care, hospitality and security services.

Since the National Minimum Wage scheme was introduced in October 2013, 490 employers have been named and shamed, with their total arrears in unpaid wages exceeding £3M, attracting total penalties of more than £1.10M.

To see a list of the offending businesses, see the bottom of this article.

Consequences and reputation

The government’s policy of naming and shaming employers who ignore the law meant there were consequences for their reputation as well as their wallets, Boles claimed.

“As a one nation government on the side of working people, we are determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage receives it,”​ he said.

“There is no excuse for not paying staff the wages they’re entitled to. 

National Living Wage

“In April, we will introduce a new National Living Wage which will mean a pay rise of over £900-a-year for someone working full time on the minimum wage and we will enforce this equally robustly.”

On 1 October 2015, the National Minimum Wage rose to £6.70. Employers should be aware of the different rates for the National Minimum Wage depending on the circumstances of their workers, Boles added. 

The 92 cases named today were thoroughly investigated by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

The naming and shaming scheme was revised in October 2013 to make it simpler to name and shame employers that do not comply with minimum wage rules.

15 offending businesses

  • Dee Set Confectionery
  • Welbeck Bakehouse
  • Cinnamon Spice
  • Sam’s Chicken
  • Here
  • Subway
  • Pizza Hut
  • Emin Markets
  • Bassett Tea Rooms
  • Broch Tandoori
  • Thackeray’s
  • Delight Coffee House
  • Zucca Bistro
  • The Ship Inn
  • Kushi’s

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