‘Just the tip of the iceberg’

Almost 200 rip-off employers who broke the law by paying their staff below the minimum wage have been named and shamed by the government.

A total of ÂŁ466,219 was scammed by 198 companies – including football clubs, care homes, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers – all of whom were forced to return arrears to their affected employees.

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner described the list as “just the tip of the iceberg.”

“This list of shame is an awful reflection of a desire by employers to scam workers which seems to be becoming part and parcel of modern day Britain,” he said.

“As the world of work has become more insecure and more exploitative, it is likely this list of shame is just the tip of the iceberg with workers too afraid to speak out for fear of losing their job.”

Household names

Italian restaurant company San Lorenzo Ltd in Wimbledon came top of the roll call of shame by underpaying 30 employees a total of £99,542, whilst the second biggest offender, Derby’s Premier Recruitment Ltd owed £34,797 to 424 workers.

The list contained household names such as Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, which owed a shocking ÂŁ2,861 to just one worker. At Blackpool Football Club one employee was underpaid by ÂŁ517.

In Huddersfield a Poundstretcher owed two employees £183, while a Brentford Subway franchise owned by Peppermint Food paid back a single staff member £107. At a Papa John’s pizza takeaway franchise in Edinburgh, owned by Cheasty Ltd, £1,811 was owed to 19 workers.

Numerous companies in sectors notorious for underpaying staff also made an appearance, including care providers and employment agencies. Sunderland’s SLW Ltd, trading as Sycamore Care Centre, owed £10,212 to 98 workers, while RD Resourcing Ltd, a Hampshire recruitment agency, owed £14,350 to 122 workers.

Since the name and shame policy was introduced in October 2013, 688 employers, with a total arrears of more than ÂŁ3.5m, have had their details published.

However Turner made clear that the policy will not deter the vast majority of bad apple bosses.

“The naming and shaming of employers by the government will not deter rogue employers from picking the pockets of workers, nor will it protect good employers from being tarnished with the same brush,” he said.

“As Unite has demonstrated time and again the best protection against being ripped-off at work is to join a trade union. The government and business must go further too and work with trade unions to halt the spiralling exploitation of workers in certain parts of the economy by introducing industry-wide minimum standards to bolster the minimum wage.”