Tag: underpayment

Top Employers Named for Underpaying Staff in 2025

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The Department for Business and Trade’s October 2025 roundup names almost 500 employers fined for underpaying staff, with household names including Centrica, EG Group and Holland & Barrett appearing on the list; unions say the scale underlines the need for stronger enforcement and worker representation.


The DBT’s publication lists 491 employers fined for failing to pay the national minimum wage, with fines totalling around £10.2 million and roughly £6 million repaid to workers; about 42,000 workers were reimbursed as part of the enforcement round.

Household names and the figures behind them

  • EG Group (Euro Garages) tops the list by numbers affected, having underpaid 3,317 workers by approximately £824,000 during an earlier payroll period, a figure the company says has been rectified.
  • Centrica, owner of British Gas, was disclosed as having underpaid 1,583 workers by around £167,814.69.
  • Holland & Barrett is recorded as having underpaid 2,551 workers by about £153,079; the retailer has described the issue as historical and says arrears were settled in earlier years.
    Other large groups named include Genting Casinos, which appeared in local reporting with arrears totalling in the hundreds of thousands.


Pat Harrington of Solidarity union said: “This year’s list is a reminder that underpayment is not confined to the smallest employers; major firms with professional payroll teams still fail their staff. Naming them is necessary, but it must be paired with rigorous follow-up and accessible routes for workers to secure redress. Firms that underpay should be required to publish corrective action plans and face stronger sanctions if systemic failures are found.”


Ministers say the naming scheme protects compliant businesses and gives workers clarity on where enforcement has succeeded; campaigners argue the public list should be accompanied by a requirement for named employers to publish detailed remediation steps and timelines to rebuild trust. The government also signals expanded enforcement powers under the new Fair Work Agency planned as part of the wider employment reforms.


The DBT’s publication provides the full register of employers and the sums involved; workers who suspect they have been underpaid are advised to check the government guidance on next steps.

Full government list and press release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/6-million-repaid-to-workers-as-government-cracks-down-on-employers-underpaying-their-staff.

By Maria Camara

Nine Northern Ireland Firms Exposed for Minimum Wage Violations

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Nine companies in Northern Ireland have been publicly criticized by the government for violating the minimum wage law. These companies owe a total of £55,200 to 534 workers following investigations by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs since 2017.

The companies in Northern Ireland that failed to pay their employees the correct wages are:

  • Victor Foster Poultry Services in Markethill, owing £33,045 to 284 workers.
  • Avondale Foods in Craigavon, failing to pay £9,007 to 149 workers.
  • Hatch Brothers, trading as Genesis Crafty (now under new ownership) in Magherafelt, owing £4,439 to 7 workers.
  • Reahs Restaurant, trading as The Portmor in Blackwatertown, failing to pay £3,292 to 8 workers.
  • O’Connor’s Bar and Restaurant in Dromore, Omagh, owing £2,413 to 1 worker.
  • WGAB Limited, trading as Excel Clothing in Newtownards, failing to pay £2,369 to 18 workers.
  • Curran Court Hotel in Larne, owing £2,003 to 63 workers.
  • 727 Your Store in Craigavon, failing to pay £580 to 1 worker.
  • Edenmore Golf & Country Club in Magheralin, owing £506 to 11 workers.

In total, 202 employers across the UK have been ordered to repay workers and face penalties of nearly £7 million. These breaches have left 63,000 workers out of pocket.

The worst offender, according to HMRC, is high street retailer WH Smith, which failed to pay around £1 million to 17,607 workers. The company attributed this failure to an error related to its company uniform policy. Other prominent retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Argos, are also on the list.

Pat Harrington, General Secretary of the Solidarity union, emphasizes the importance of paying the legal minimum wage and condemns the anti-social and wrong nature of not doing so. Harrington states, “Paying the legal minimum wage is non-negotiable, and all businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working staff.”

The employers named on the list were found to have underpaid workers through various means, such as deducting pay from workers’ wages (39% of employers), failing to pay workers correctly for their working time (39% of employers), and paying incorrect apprenticeship rates (21% of employers).

Bryan Sanderson, chair of the Low Pay Commission, further emphasised the significance of the minimum wage as a guarantee to ensure all workers receive a decent minimum standard of pay. Sanderson asserts that when employers break the law, they not only harm their staff but also undermine fair competition between businesses. Sanderson believes that regular naming rounds serve as a crucial tool in raising awareness of underpayment and safeguarding the rights of minimum wage workers.

The government has made it clear that anyone entitled to receive the minimum wage should be paid accordingly, and it is determined to take robust enforcement action against employers who fail to comply. Since 2015, the budget for minimum wage enforcement has doubled, and the government has ordered employers to repay over £100 million to 1 million workers.