- More than 27,000 workers have been repaid almost £4m following minimum wage enforcement action.
- The Government has issued penalties totalling £7m against 658 employers.
- B&Q, NHS trusts, care providers and other major employers feature among those named.
The UK Government has named 658 employers for failing to pay workers the National Minimum Wage, after enforcement action resulted in almost £4m being repaid to more than 27,000 workers.
The employers have also been issued penalties totalling £7m, as ministers step up efforts to ensure businesses comply with minimum wage rules.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said employers that look after their workers are ultimately building stronger businesses, while warning that 'short-changing your staff isn’t a shortcut to success.'
The Government said it intends to publish naming lists more regularly, allowing employers to be held to account more quickly and giving businesses an opportunity to correct problems sooner.
Among the companies named is DIY retailer B&Q, which was found to have underpaid £456,934 to 4,530 workers.
B&Q said the shortfalls were unintentional and related to the way geographical allowances were calculated. The company said all affected employees were paid in full in July 2025.
Other employers named include Elysium Healthcare Holdings, which was found to have underpaid £330,048 to 1,095 workers, while St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group was linked to a £123,331 shortfall involving 75 workers.
Forest Holidays, Support Staff Services, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Lanes Group and UK Care Team also feature on the list.
New enforcement body takes centre stage
The naming round is the first since the Fair Work Agency was established in April under the Employment Rights Act.
The agency brings enforcement of workers’ rights under one roof and is intended to provide businesses with a single source of guidance while giving authorities greater powers to pursue employers that break employment law.
Minister for the Future of Work Kate Dearden said employers must ensure workers receive the pay they are legally entitled to and urged businesses to check their payrolls and contact Acas if they need support.
However, not every case on the list necessarily represents deliberate attempts to avoid paying the minimum wage.
St George’s, Epsom and St Helier, for example, maintains that no employees were actually underpaid. The hospital group said the issue involved a technical compliance matter in which part of employees’ salary used for non-tax-deductible salary sacrifice arrangements, such as childcare, was not counted towards the National Minimum Wage calculation.
The hospitals have since changed their processes to improve compliance.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said employers that fail to pay the legal minimum should be named, arguing that underpayment affects not only workers and families but also the wider economy.
The Fair Work Agency is expected to expand its enforcement role beyond minimum wage breaches, with holiday pay and sick pay violations also set to come under its remit.
