SEVERAL local employers are among 191 named by the government for breaching the law on the national minimum wage.

HMRC found £2.1million was owed to more than 34,000 workers because of the breaches, which took place between 2011 and 2018.

Famous names on the list included John Lewis, the Body Shop International and football clubs such as Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic, Crewe, Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth.

The named employers have repaid what they owed and have been fined a total of £3.2m.

The government announcement said:

  • Julie and Christopher Roche, trading as Hill Cottage Farm Camping and Caravan Park at Alderholt, were found to have failed to pay £3,351 to one worker.
  • Anglo Limited in central Bournemouth had failed to pay £2,461 to nine workers.
  • Onyx Hair Limited, trading as Stone Hair in Moordown, failed to pay £1,371 to two workers.
  • DDV Hairdressing Limited, trading as Toni & Guy in Bournemouth, failed to pay £8,685 to five workers.

The government has acknowledged that not all the underpayment was intentional but said it was the responsibility of employers to abide by the law.

Almost half of the deductions nationally involved pay being wrongly deducted for purposes such as uniform and expenses. Almost a third involved failing to pay for all the hours worked, such as when staff worked overtime, and a fifth involved paying the wrong rate to apprentices.

Business minister Paul Scully said: “Our minimum wage laws are there to ensure a fair day’s work gets a fair day’s pay – it is unacceptable for any company to come up short.

“All employers, including those on this list, need to pay workers properly.

“This government will continue to protect workers’ rights vigilantly, and employers that short-change workers won’t get off lightly.

“Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates. They also face hefty financial penalties of up to 200 per cent of arrears – capped at £20,000 per worker – which are paid to the government.”

The government has published new guidance to ensure employers know how to pay apprentices correctly.

The Daily Echo has approached the local employers on the list for comment.