Hundreds of employers handed penalties for illegally underpaying workers

24 Mar 2026

Almost 400 employers from across the UK have been named for failing to pay the minimum wage to tens of thousands of workers, says the government.

Around 60,000 workers were found to have been underpaid, collectively missing out on £7.3 million in pay.

The findings come alongside enforcement action against businesses failing to pay their staff the legal National Minimum Wage (NMW).

In addition to repaying the underpaid £7.3 million penalties totalling £12.6 million have now been issued to businesses that failed to pay staff correctly.

The Department for Trade and Industry says this makes it clear that 'workers won't be made to pay for the mistakes or negligence of those they work for, regardless of how big or well-known they are'.

The announcement also comes ahead of further increases to the minimum wage, which will see the lowest earners over 21 years old receive an annual pay boost of £900 for those working full time.

Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, said: 'The vast majority of businesses in this country do the right thing by paying their staff properly and playing by the rules. It's not fair on them when others are able to get ahead by not paying the wages their workers are owed.

'A good employer doesn't build their business on the back of unpaid wages, and I look forward to working with the new Fair Work Agency to ensure its powers are used to crack down on those who think the rules don't apply to them.'