Jo Swinson
Business minister Jo Swinson said minimum wage cheat employers face penalties of up to £20,000 Reuters

The government has "named and shamed" a further 37 minimum wage cheat employers in a bid to deter companies from breaking the law.

The Department for Business said the employers owe their workers more than £177,000 ($269,155, €229,005) in arrears and have been charged financial penalties totalling more than £51,000.

Business minister Jo Swinson warned that paying less than the minimum wage (of £6.50 an hour for adults aged 21 and over) is "illegal, immoral and completely unacceptable".

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"If employers break this law they need to know that we will take tough action by naming, shaming and fining them as well as helping workers recover the hundreds of thousands of pounds in pay owed to them," she said.

"We are also looking at what more we can do to make sure workers are paid fairly in the first place."

Swinson said minimum wage cheat employers face penalties of up to £20,000.

"We are legislating through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill so that this penalty can be applied to each underpaid worker rather than per employer," she explained.

The government has already named 55 employers since the new naming regime came into force in October 2013.

It had total arrears of more than £139,000 and total penalties of over £60,000, according to official figures.

Employers unsure of minimum wage rules can get free advice via the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368.

The 37 employers are:

  • Kings Group LLP, Hertfordshire, neglected to pay £53,808.91 to 53 workers
  • Kings Group Lettings LLP, Hertfordshire, neglected to pay £26,893.43 to 49 workers
  • Chi Yip Group Ltd, Middleton, neglected to pay £15,566.78 to 13 workers
  • Kingsclere Nurseries Ltd trading as Abacus Day Nursery, Newbury, neglected to pay £12,904.19 to 8 workers
  • Ms Thap Thi Ly trading as Sweet N Sour, Fleetwood, neglected to pay £11,039.14 to 2 workers
  • Michael Kearney trading as Electrical Estimates, Ceredigion, neglected to pay £5,557.91 to 4 workers
  • ABC Early Learning and Childcare Centre UK Ltd, Wolverhampton, neglected to pay £5,329.25 to 68 workers
  • C J Hartley Ltd trading as Headwork, Sheffield, neglected to pay £4,762.64 to 4 workers
  • Mrs Kelly Jayne Lockley trading as Diva Hair Design, Walsall, neglected to pay £4,103.65 to a worker
  • Browncow Tanning Ltd trading as Fake Bake Hair & Beauty Boutique, Glasgow, neglected to pay £3,406.66 to 2 workers
  • J Wood Joiners & Builders Ltd, Edinburgh, neglected to pay £3,373.19 to 4 workers
  • Louise Ross Trading as Luxe Salon, Leeds, neglected to pay £3,368.13 to a worker
  • H&M Hennes & Mauritz UK Ltd, London, neglected to pay £2,604.87 to 540 workers
  • Building Projects Ltd, Dundee, neglected to pay £2,345.85 to 3 workers
  • David A Farrer Ltd, Morecambe, neglected to pay £2,261.00 to a worker
  • Julian's Hair Salon Ltd, Newbury, neglected to pay £2,131.35 to a worker
  • Motorists Discount Store Ltd trading as TMS Autoparts, Manchester, neglected to pay £2,025.19 to a worker
  • Ms Dawn Platts trading as Level 2 Hair Studio, Barnsley, neglected to pay £1,186.89 to a worker
  • Myers and Family Ltd, Wakefield, neglected to pay £1.598.82 to a worker
  • Welcome Break Holdings Ltd, Newport Pagnell, neglected to pay £1,318.70 to 19 workers
  • Callum Austin Ltd trading as Jason Austin Hairdressers, Kettering, neglected to pay £1,899.66 to 2 workers
  • Mrs Karen Riley Trading as Crave, Preston, neglected to pay £1,179.09 to 7 workers
  • RPM Performance Rally World Ltd, Maldon, neglected to pay £998.71 to a worker
  • Ego Hair & Beauty (Anglia) Ltd, Colchester, neglected to pay £985.55 to a worker
  • Mr Jinit Shah trading as Crystal Financial Solutions, Middlesex, neglected to pay £941.65 to a worker
  • Counted4 Community Interest Company, Sunderland, neglected to pay £930.73 to a worker
  • HAE Automotive Services Ltd, Harrogate (ceased trading), neglected to pay £798.16 to a worker
  • Vision on Digital Ltd, Ossett, neglected to pay £683.86 to a worker
  • Ultimate Care UK Ltd, Ipswich, neglected to pay £613.79 to 7 workers
  • Century Motors (Sheffield) Ltd, Sheffield, neglected to pay £571.72 to a worker
  • Mr D Eastwell & Mr G Brinkler trading as The Salon, Letchworth Garden City, neglected to pay £409.85 to a worker
  • Rumble (Bedworth) Ltd, Nuneaton, neglected to pay £404.41 to a worker
  • Shannons Ltd, Worthing neglected to pay £313.76 to a worker
  • Holmes Cleaning Company, Worksop neglected to pay £240.48 to a worker
  • Learnplay Foundation Ltd, West Bromwich, neglected to pay £224.73 to a worker
  • Adrien Mackenzie trading as Maverick Models, Manchester, neglected to pay £205.52 to a worker
  • QW Security Ltd, Hartlepool, neglected to pay £126.20 to a worker
Minimum Wage