HMRC identifies companies that had to refund £1.7m to 16,000 workers
High-street retail chains Sports Direct and Primark are among 260 employers that have been “named and shamed” by the UK government for paying staff less than the legal minimum wage.
HM Revenue and Customs has identified the companies that had to refund £1.7m to 16,000 affected workers and publicised their names as part of the government’s strategy to dissuade businesses from breaking the law.
“There is no excuse for not paying staff the wages they’re entitled to and the government will come down hard on businesses that break the rules,” said Margot James, the business minister.
A Primark spokesman said: “The company is committed to the National Minimum Wage and has apologised to the employees concerned. It has also reviewed its procedures in order to avoid this situation re-occurring.”
A Sports Direct spokesman said: “This matter relates to the historical situation in our warehouse that was widely publicised in 2016, for which we apologised at the time. We cooperated fully with HMRC to make back payments to Sports Direct staff who were affected. We are committed to treating all our people with dignity and respect, and we pay above the National Minimum Wage.”
Leave a Comment