Government names over 600 employers for minimum wage underpayment
The government has published a list of over 600 employers, including B&Q and Five Guys, that underpaid workers the minimum wage.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The government has published a list of more than 600 employers that underpaid workers the minimum wage, including major high street names such as B&Q and Five Guys. The list, released by the new Fair Work Agency, also includes NHS trusts and care homes.
The agency, which is tasked with checking employment and wage rules, said 27,000 workers had been paid back a collective £4 million in wages. The companies involved have also been handed penalties totalling around £7 million.
B&Q, the DIY retailer, underpaid more than 4,500 workers a total of more than £450,000. The company said the issue was unintentional and involved calculations of allowances paid to staff in certain parts of the country. It said all colleagues were quickly paid in full.
Five Guys, the fast food chain, owed about £54,000 to almost 3,700 members of staff. The company said it had worked closely with HMRC after technical differences in how payroll regulations were applied.
Elysium Healthcare Holding Limited, a private care provider, failed to pay over £330,000 to more than 1,000 workers. It apologised and said the shortfalls were an unintentional calculation error.
Underpayment can happen if firms make staff arrive early or stay late without paying them accordingly, or if certain deductions drop earnings below the legal level.
Ministers said this was just the first of these lists and they were determined to stamp out short-changing. The agency will also start checking holiday and sick pay is being paid correctly.
Workers who think they are being underpaid are advised to check the government and ACAS websites.
On screen
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Key Claims
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Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC focused on the creation of the Fair Work Agency and the government's enforcement drive, framing the list as a warning to employers. It also highlighted the reasons behind underpayment and gave practical advice for workers. The tone was factual and explanatory, with a clear emphasis on the agency's role and future plans.
- “This is one of the first acts of the new Fair Work Agency, a government body tasked with checking employment and wage rules are being kept to.”
- “They're determined, they say, to stamp out short-changing.”
- “For workers, the advice is to check with both the government and ACAS websites if they think they are being impacted.”
ITV led with the 'named and shamed' angle, highlighting the most recognisable brands and specific amounts owed. It gave concrete figures for B&Q, Five Guys and Elysium Healthcare, and stressed the illegality of underpayment. The tone was more consumer-focused, with a direct appeal to viewers who might be affected.
- “Well, over 600 employers have been, as you said, named and shamed by the government and that's for paying their staff below the national minimum wage.”
- “Now B&Q, perhaps the most recognisable one in the list, underpaid over 4,500 workers. That was a total of more than £450,000.”
- “And then there's Five Guys, the fast food chain that we all know, they owed about £54,000 to almost 3,700 members of staff.”
Broadcast Timeline
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