Paying for uniforms out of paychecks and deducting unlawfully for PPE, food, daycare, and training expenses are examples of violations of the federal minimum wage.
The businesses are on a list of 542 businesses that were ordered to pay back over £16 million in underpayments to 172,000 workers since 2015; some of these workers also had fines imposed.
The current national minimum wage (NMW) for individuals over 21 is £10.42 per hour; it will increase to £11.44 in April. For those between the ages of 18 and 20, it is £7.49 and £8.60, respectively.
Numerous violations of the national minimum wage were discovered during HMRC investigations that were opened and concluded between 2015 and 2023. These violations included forcing workers to take money from their pay for their uniforms and making unauthorized deductions for PPE, food, childcare, and training expenses.
Additionally, workers received inadequate compensation for their time, with hours rounded down or deducted for travel, required training, and trial shifts.
The employment firm Staffline was the worst offenders, failing to reimburse around 34,000 workers for over £5 million.
The Rank Group, owners of casinos and bingo, came in second, underpaying 5,629 employees by £960,000. Estee Lauder came in third, with 5,933 workers of the massive cosmet
