HMRC & NMW
Nearly 500 employers have been fined more than £10m by HMRC for failing to pay the national minimum wage to their employees. The penalties come as part of the government effort to send a “clear message” that it will not tolerate companies that “shortchange their workers”. Around 42,000 employees will be reimbursed a combined £6m as a result. EG Group, the service station and convenience store chain co-founded by brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa, was the biggest offender, failing to pay a combined £824,384 to 3,317 workers. The company said the underpayment was a result of historic payroll issues that have now been rectified, adding that all affected employees were reimbursed. British Gas owner Centrica failed to pay £167,815 to 356 of its staff, which it also blamed on a technical error. “The total underpayment related primarily to salary sacrifice arrangements and training bonds, rather than take-home pay, and was around £160,000 – our UK annual wage bill is currently around £1.2bn,” a spokesperson for the business said. High street chain Holland & Barrett was also named among the top 10 worst offenders after it was found to have underpaid 2,551 workers a combined £153,079. “This was not a case of deliberate
