More than 100 employers who have failed to pay their workers the National Minimum Wage have been named and shamed, Business Minister Nick Boles announced today (23 October 2015).
Between them, the 115 companies named owed workers over £389,000 in arrears, and span sectors including hairdressing, retail, education, catering and social care.
Since the scheme was introduced in October 2013, 400 employers have been named and shamed, with total arrears of over £1,181,000 and total penalties of over £513,000.
Business Minister Nick Boles said:
Employers that fail to pay the minimum wage hurt the living standards of the lowest paid and their families.
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.
Next April we will introduce a new National Living Wage which will mean a £900-a-year pay rise for someone working full time on the minimum wage and we will enforce this equally robustly.
On 1 October 2015, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rose to £6.70. Employers should be aware of the different rates for the National Minimum Wage depending on the circumstances of their workers.
To improve compliance in the hairdressing sector HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has launched a NMW campaign to drive voluntary behavioural change. The campaign is an opportunity for employers to check they are paying their employees correctly and ensure any outstanding arrears are paid back to employees.
The 115 cases named today were thoroughly investigated by 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.
Businesses or employees that have any questions about the National Minimum wage can contact Acas online.
The 115 employers named today are:
Monsoon Accessorize Ltd, London W11, neglected to pay £104,507.83 to 1438 workers
Tyne & Wear Riding for the Disabled Association, trading as Washington Riding Centre, Washington, neglected to pay £27,151.79 to 6 workers
Project Security UK Ltd, Doncaster, neglected to pay £23,857.11 to 18 workers
Carl Keith Salons Ltd, Prescot, neglected to pay £20,535.03 to 5 workers
Cornwall Glass & Glazing Ltd, trading as Exeter & MacKenzie Glass Centre, Exeter, neglected to pay £14,253.66 to 9 workers
Mr Gholam Ghiassi, Chaigley, neglected to pay £14,208.40 to 2 workers
Helen Woodend, trading as New Brooms, Burton-in-Kendal, neglected to pay £13,447.01 to 14 workers
Stoke College Educational Trust Ltd, trading as Stoke College, Sudbury, neglected to pay £12,094.83 to 7 workers
Village Garage Engineers Ltd, trading as Village Garage, Plean, neglected to pay £9,159.80 to 3 workers
Aspect Plumbing & Heating Ltd, trading as Aspect Plumbing & Heating, Liverpool, neglected to pay £8,280.45 to 1 worker
D A Elliott Farriers Ltd, Whitby, neglected to pay £7,516.44 to 3 workers
Solex Systems Ltd (ceased trading), Broughton, neglected to pay £5,978.17 to 3 workers
Ian Balfour & Caroline Balfour, trading as A E Taxis, Kirkcaldy, neglected to pay £4,757.59 to 3 workers
Westbrookes Property Ltd, Nottingham, neglected to pay £4,661.73 to 9 workers
Spirit Pub Company (Services) Ltd, Burton on Trent, neglected to pay £4,629.14 to 1 worker
North Tyneside Learning Trust, trading as Woodlawn Special School, West Monkseaton, neglected to pay £4,312.19 to 1 worker
Frederick Evans & Laureen Evans, trading as Manston Riding Centre, Ramsgate, neglected to pay £4,142.83 to 1 worker
Continental Meat Supply Ltd, London SE17, neglected to pay £3,922.59 to 1 worker
Greenwoods Hotel Management Ltd, trading as Greenwoods Hotel and Spa, Stock, neglected to pay £3,545.18 to 2 workers
Supreme Care Services Ltd, Morden, neglected to pay £3,528.64 to 1 worker
Margaret Jankowitz, trading as The Beeches Hair Studio, Clydebank, neglected to pay £3,283.36 to 3 workers
Paterson SA Ltd, trading as Paterson SA Hairdressing, Edinburgh, neglected to pay £3,216.50 to 15 workers
The RHU Ltd, Burgess Hill, neglected to pay £3,166.11 to 1 worker
Mr Prakash Dattani, trading as Interpharm Chemist, Leicester, neglected to pay £3,077.55 to 2 workers
SEM Electrical Ltd, Darlington, neglected to pay £2,666.09 to 1 worker
Susan Beeks, trading as Waterside Hair & Beauty, Harmondsworth, neglected to pay £2,662.49 to 1 worker
Bennett Homes Ltd, Manchester, neglected to pay £2,659.96 to 2 workers
Andrew Warburton & Theresa Warburton, trading as Alesha Paul Hair Design, Manchester, neglected to pay £2,633.54 to 1 worker
Subway Universal Ltd, trading as Subway, (Morden, Barbican, Richmond, Twickenham), London, neglected to pay £2,466.77 to 10 workers
Elgan Davies Ltd, Cardigan, neglected to pay £2,312.62 to 1 worker
C & R Tyres Ltd, Kelso, neglected to pay £2,261.60 to 3 workers
AutoPanels North East Ltd, Chester le Street, neglected to pay £2,101.59 to 1 worker
Giscombe Brown Ltd, trading as Nuba Hair & Beauty, Sheffield, neglected to pay £2,071.68 to 2 workers
SCC Leisure Ltd, trading as Bar Soba, Glasgow, neglected to pay £2,015.82 to 1 worker
Charsi Tikka Ltd, London E7, neglected to pay £1,823.19 to 1 worker
Claire Beaty, trading as Innovations Hair Design, Windsor, neglected to pay £1,765.19 to 1 worker
Mr Bernard Camish, Mrs Carol Camish, Mr James Coles & Mrs Ria Coles, trading as The Poplars, Trowbridge, neglected to pay £1,748.31 to 1 worker
Nichola Crosby, trading as Beyond The Fringe, Cwmbran, neglected to pay £1,687.91 to 1 worker
Paul Scully Ltd, trading as Scully Scully, Godalming, neglected to pay £1,660.85 to 1 worker
P.K. Meats Ltd, Wimborne, neglected to pay £1,628.86 to 1 worker
Your Leisure Kent Ltd, trading as Tides Leisure & Indoor Tennis Centre, Deal, neglected to pay £1,619.95 to 1 worker
Cross Electrical Ltd, Surbiton, neglected to pay £1,597.41 to 1 worker
March Hair Plymouth Ltd, Plymouth, neglected to pay £1,590.98 to 2 workers
Carole Eustace & Mark Eustace, trading as Westfield Court Hotel, Sutton Coldfield, neglected to pay £1,510.78 to 1 worker
Affinity Dental Ltd, Rochdale, neglected to pay £1,452.02 to 1 worker
Norma Clark Hair & Beauty Ltd, Glasgow, neglected to pay £1,391.32 to 1 worker
Young Men’s Christian Association Bargoed and District Branch, Bargoed, neglected to pay £1,372.12 to 1 worker
Capital Care Services (UK) Ltd, London E18, neglected to pay £1,298.83 to 2 workers
Assess to Progress Ltd, Pudsey, neglected to pay £1,286.76 to 3 workers
Givehand Ltd, London E17, neglected to pay £1,281.89 to 2 workers
Studio Fifty Six (Christchurch) Ltd, Christchurch, neglected to pay £1,243.82 to 2 workers
Little Apple Ltd, trading as Sileby Day Nursery, Leicester, neglected to pay £1,229.21 to 2 workers
Complete Joinery Midlands Ltd, Nottingham, neglected to pay £1,175.73 to 1 worker
Printer Cartridge Supplies Ltd, Redruth, neglected to pay £1,096.19 to 1 worker
Anthony Williamson, Salvatore Bifulco, Tracey Caswell & Leo Bifulco, trading as Your Lifestyle LLP, Gloucester, neglected to pay £1,092.85 to 16 workers
Ellenborough Park Ltd, trading as Ellenborough Park Hotel, Cheltenham, neglected to pay £1,084.01 to 1 worker
PCC UK International Ltd, trading as We Love Laptops, Lostock, neglected to pay £1,079.07 to 3 workers
Metro Surveillance Group Ltd, Cookstown, neglected to pay £1,059.35 to 1 worker
Joe Allen, trading as Joe Allen Electrical Contractors, Newark, neglected to pay £1,052.51 to 1 worker
Leo Mancini Ltd, Ascot, neglected to pay £1,022.83 to 1 worker
Sue Kramer, trading as Hillcrest Montessori Nursery School, Coulsdon, neglected to pay £1,018.79 to 1 worker
Robert Huggett, trading as Robert & Sheron, Midhurst, neglected to pay £962.38 to 1 worker
Christopher Spry Ltd, trading as Christopher Spry Hairdressers, Norwich, neglected to pay £931.54 to 1 worker
Cannon Services (UK) Ltd, Aylesford, neglected to pay £871.03 to 1 worker
Hyde Park Food Ltd, trading as Chicken Valley, London W12, neglected to pay £820.80 to 1 worker
LS&R Ltd, trading as Omega Business Supplies, Stockport, neglected to pay £784.92 to 1 worker
Waters & Sons Independent Funeral Directors Ltd, Southampton, neglected to pay £768.51 to 1 worker
Xercise4less (Wakefield) Ltd, Wakefield, neglected to pay £751.29 to 1 worker
Rasheed Mustafa, trading as Riverstone Property, Crawley, neglected to pay £742.91 to 1 worker
KJM Autos Ltd, Hengoed, neglected to pay £736.12 to 1 worker
MAC Repair Ltd, Leeds, neglected to pay £715.68 to 1 worker
Meden Courier Services Ltd, Mansfield, neglected to pay £684.59 to 3 workers
Lynsey Sellars, trading as La Belle Health & Beauty, Leeds, neglected to pay £659.40 to 1 worker
Ground Events Ltd, trading as The Playground, London N15, neglected to pay £624.00 to 1 worker
Ceredigion Couriers Ltd, Machynlleth, neglected to pay £620.55 to 1 worker
Strathmore Hotels Ltd, trading as Royal Hotel, Argyll, and Salutation Hotel, Perth, neglected to pay £609.97 to 2 workers
Duval Security Ltd, Derby, neglected to pay £520.00 to 1 worker
ENA Ltd, trading as ENA Salon, London WC2B, neglected to pay £492.48 to 1 worker
U & T Ltd, trading as The Sweet Spot, Hamilton, neglected to pay £482.64 to 2 workers
Lee Nixon, trading as Mediabox Productions, Nottingham, neglected to pay £468.00 to 1 worker
Christopher Whiteside, trading as The Hair Workshop, Lytham St Annes, neglected to pay £457.58 to 1 worker
Findme4u Ltd, London SE12, neglected to pay £442.26 to 1 worker
The Square Bar & Restaurant Ltd, Harrogate, neglected to pay £437.02 to 1 worker
Wyin Innovations, Croydon, neglected to pay £417.51 to 1 worker
Nightingale Social Care Staffing Agency Ltd, Barnsley, neglected to pay £405.47 to 1 worker
Top Quote Ltd, Manchester, neglected to pay £391.89 to 1 worker
Greg Heywood, trading as Vineyard King, Northampton, neglected to pay £353.93 to 1 worker
Allen Avenue Ltd, Croydon, neglected to pay £347.24 to 1 worker
Storm Commercials Ltd, Monk Bretton, neglected to pay £342.40 to 1 worker
Michelle Marklow, trading as Shellies Flowers, Birmingham, neglected to pay £323.09 to 1 worker
Sam Clackmannan (Scotland) Ltd, trading as Samantha Blues Hairdressing, Clackmannan, neglected to pay £319.29 to 1 worker
Cocouk Ltd, trading as Le Dermex, Edinburgh, neglected to pay £305.50 to 1 worker
Forward Life Ltd, Swansea, neglected to pay £286.00 to 1 worker
Direct Windows & Conservatories (Staffordshire) Ltd, trading as Direct Windows & Conservatories, Stoke-on-Trent, neglected to pay £274.70 to 1 worker
Impresstech Ltd, trading as Best One (ceased trading April 2014), London SW2, neglected to pay £272.34 to 1 worker
International Business Action Ltd, trading as County Hand Car Wash, Morecambe, neglected to pay £266.50 to 1 worker
Susan Turner, trading as The Belle Air Hairdressing Salon, Wakefield, neglected to pay £261.91 to 2 workers
Commply (Yorkshire) Ltd, Leeds, neglected to pay £260.37 to 7 workers
The Court Hotel (Bromley) Ltd, Bromley, neglected to pay £230.67 to 3 workers
Sweetly Stevia (UK) Ltd, London SE16, neglected to pay £227.50 to 1 worker
The Spa in Lancing Ltd, trading as The Spa in Lancing, Lancing, neglected to pay £192.26 to 1 worker
Pimms Hair & Beauty Ltd, Aldershot, neglected to pay £178.22 to 2 workers
Danhouse Security Ltd, London W6, neglected to pay £161.83 to 2 workers
D K Forecourts Ltd, trading as Texaco Garage, Caerphilly, neglected to pay £156.00 to 1 worker
Coach Travel Wales Ltd, trading as Coach Travel Wales, Aberystwyth, neglected to pay £153.52 to 1 worker
D K Forecourts Ltd, trading as Pavilion Garage, Pontypool, neglected to pay £151.44 to 1 worker
Pilning Kings Arms Ltd (previous owners), trading as The Kings Arms, Bristol, neglected to pay £143.72 to 1 worker
Steve Efthimiou, trading as Mr Clutch, Luton, neglected to pay £135.24 to 1 worker
Urban Angels (Didsbury) Ltd, Didsbury, neglected to pay £133.19 to 1 worker
Huddleson Enterprises Ltd, trading as The Lock Keeper’s Inn, Belfast, neglected to pay £132.35 to 7 workers
MLVH Ltd, trading as The Manor Hotel, Christchurch, neglected to pay £124.89 to 1 worker
Mark Gosling, trading as Regency Autos, Penarth, neglected to pay £116.76 to 1 worker
Bartek Deli Enterprise Ltd, trading as Polmar Supermarket, London W13, neglected to pay £110.50 to 1 worker
Mrs Mary Forbes, trading as Mary Forbes Hairdressing, Dundee, neglected to pay £106.44 to 1 worker
Cribs Estates Ltd, London SW19, neglected to pay £104.32 to 1 worker
Notes to editors
1.Employers have a duty to be aware of the different legal rates for the National Minimum Wage.
The current National Minimum Wage rates are:
adult rate (21 years old and over) - £6.70 per hour
18 to 20-year olds - £5.30 per hour
16 to 17-year olds - £3.87 per hour
apprentice rate - £3.30 per hour
The apprentice rate applies to apprentices aged 16 to 18 years and those aged 19 years and over who are in their first year. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage rate for their age.
2.The government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. The BIS scheme to name employers who break minimum wage law came into effect on 1 January 2011. The scheme is one of a range of tools at the government’s disposal to tackle this issue. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000. In the most serious cases employers can be prosecuted.
3.From 1 October 2013 the government revised the naming scheme to make it simpler to name and shame employers who break the law. Under this scheme the government will name all employers that have been issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NoU) unless employers meet one of the exceptional criteria or have arrears of £100 or less. All 115 cases named today failed to pay the national minimum wage and have arrears of over £100.
4.Employers have 28 days to appeal to HMRC against the NoU (this notice sets out the owed wages to be paid by the employer together with the penalty for not complying with minimum wage law). If the employer does not appeal or unsuccessfully appeals against this NoU, BIS will consider them for naming. The employer then has 14 days to make representations to BIS outlining whether they meet any of the exceptional criteria:
naming by BIS carries a risk of personal harm to an individual or their family
there are national security risks associated with naming in this instance
other factors which suggest that it would not be in the public interest to name the employer (employer to provide details)
If BIS does not receive any representations or the representations received are unsuccessful, the employer will be named via a BIS press release under this scheme.
5.Further information about the revised BIS NMW naming scheme.