Minimum wage list: M&B underpaid 16,000 staff

MIDLAND pub group Mitchells & Butlers, along with recruiter Staffline, food chain Greggs and airline easyJet, have been named as some of the major British companies that did not pay some staff the minimum wage. The government released a list of 524 businesses that failed to pay employees the national minimum wage, or the national living wage, which is what the government calls the minimum wage for people aged over 21.

Around 172,000 workers were left out of pocket as a result, the Department for Business and Trade said.

“Employees deserve to get paid properly for the hard work they put in,” said Kevin Hollinrake, minister for enterprise, markets and small business. “While the majority of businesses already do the right thing and pay their staff what they are owed, this announcement sends a message to the minority who aren’t – that there are repercussions to undercutting hard work from their staff.”

Mitchells & Butlers, which has headquarters in Birmingham, underpaid 16,187 staff an average of £507.32 each.

A spokesman said: “As the minister notes, not all underpayments are intentional and this was the case here.”

The company blamed a “technical misinterpretation of the regulations”, which was identified in 2019.

“All arrears due were paid to our valued employees and ex-employees at the end of the review and we have updated our policies where necessary,” he added.

Staffline failed to pay 36,767 workers correctly in a period from 2013 to 2018, owing them a total of around £5.13 million before making it right, the department said.

Greggs failed to pay 4,793 employees an average of £45.72 they were due, because of uniforms.