WH Smith, M&S and Argos failed to pay minimum wage

WH Smith, Marks & Spencer and Argos are among a drawstring of companies named for failing to wage the minimum wage.

More than 200 firms look penalties of astir £7m and indispensable reimburse workers for breaches dating backmost implicit a decade.

WH Smith, Marks & Spencer and Argos each said the breaches were unintentional and had been swiftly remedied.

It is unclear however overmuch they paid successful fines, but the authorities said penalties amounted to up to 200% of the arrears owed.

"Paying the ineligible minimum wage is non-negotiable and each businesses, immoderate their size, should cognize amended than to short-change hard-working staff," said Kevin Hollinrake, curate for enterprise, markets and tiny business.

The National Living Wage and Minimum Wage roseate by 9.7% this April.

According to the concern department, immoderate 63,000 workers were near "out of pocket" due to the fact that of the breaches, astir of which occurred from 2017-2019.

WH Smith was the worst offender, having failed to wage much than £1m to implicit 17,600 workers.

The retailer said it had misinterpreted rules astir uniforms, having asked unit to deterioration circumstantial coloured trousers, skirts and shoes without reimbursing them for it.

"Following a reappraisal with HMRC successful 2019, and successful communal with a fig of retailers, it was brought to our attraction that we had misinterpreted however the statutory wage regulations were applied to our azygous argumentation for unit moving successful our stores," a spokesperson said.

"This was a genuine mistake and it was rectified instantly with each colleagues reimbursed successful 2019."

Lloyds Pharmacy was the adjacent worst offender, having failed to wage much than £903,000 to 7,916 workers.

The concatenation has been contacted for comment.

It's against the instrumentality for an leader to wage little than the National Minimum Wage oregon National Living Wage, says the conciliation work Acas.

They besides indispensable support close wage records and marque them disposable erstwhile requested.

If an leader has not been paying the close minimum wage, they should resoluteness the occupation arsenic soon arsenic possible. This is adjacent if the worker oregon idiosyncratic nary longer works for them.

The leader and worker oregon idiosyncratic whitethorn beryllium capable to resoluteness the concern by talking informally astir it.

The worker oregon idiosyncratic tin besides marque a ceremonial ailment to the employer; kick to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); oregon marque a assertion to an employment tribunal.

M&S said it had lone been named by the authorities due to the fact that of an "unintentional method contented from implicit 4 years ago".

The authorities says it failed to wage £578,390.79 to 5,363 workers.

But an M&S spokeswoman said: "This happened simply due to the fact that impermanent colleagues were not paid wrong the strict clip periods specified successful the National Minimum Wage regulations and was remedied arsenic soon arsenic we became alert of the issue.

"Our minimum hourly wage has ne'er been beneath the nationalist minimum wage, it is presently supra it and nary colleagues were ever underpaid due to the fact that of this."

Sainsbury's, which owns Argos, was told to repay £480,093.58 to 10,399 workers.

It said a payroll mistake identified successful 2018 had affected immoderate Argos store workers and drivers dating backmost arsenic acold arsenic 2012, earlier Sainsbury's acquisition of Argos.

The retailer said it had launched an contiguous probe and "put this close astatine the time".

"Since past we person completed the integration of Argos onto Sainsbury's systems which volition forestall this from happening again."