ISS Facility Services, Bidvest Noonan and Amey Services have been named as some of the employers on the government’s list of organisations that are underpaying staff.
The Department for Business and Trade, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Fair Work Agency have named 389 UK employers that have failed to pay some of their workers the minimum wage. A total of around £12.6 million in penalties have been issued to them.
The employers on the list have been told to repay more than £7.3 million in wages owed to around 60,000 workers who have been underpaid, to aid in addressing the cost of living for low earners.
ISS Facility Services failed to pay £754,760.14 to 5,378 workers, Amey Services failed to pay £169,447.02 to 2,608 workers, and Bidvest Noonan failed to pay £33,941.21 to 43 workers.
This is the final naming round before the Fair Work Agency begins on 7 April. Formed as part of the Employment Rights Act, the agency will bring workers’ rights enforcement under one roof.
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. A good employer doesn’t build their business on the back of unpaid wages, and I look forward to working with the new Fair Work Agency to ensure its powers are used to crack down on those who think the rules don’t apply to them.”
Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden added: “Nobody should finish a week’s work and find they’ve been paid less than they’ve earned. I believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. That’s why we’re cracking down on employers who underpay. We’re making sure workers get the hard earned pay they deserve. I encourage every employer to check their payroll to ensure they don’t get caught out.”
An Amey spokesperson said: “The mention of Amey in this report relates to a historic technical issue that first arose in 2018. Since that time, Amey has implemented robust warning systems within our payroll processes to prevent any recurrence of such incidents. HMRC commended Amey for the prompt and transparent way we addressed the matter in 2018, which was caused by a technical fault in our automated payment system. Importantly, there have been no further issues from 2020/21 onwards. Additionally, Amey now ensures all employees receive at least the higher real living wage of £13.45 per hour as our minimum rate of pay.”
