[UK] Thousands of workers could be owed back payments from employers

In the UK, the Government has announced that employees who have been underpaid by their employers will be compensated with arrears payments in a new Make Work Pay initiative, CambridgeshireLive reports.

The move follows a National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase, which has given full-time workers an additional £1,400.

The Employment Rights Bill will reportedly bring the most significant enhancement of workers' rights for decades. Under the Plan for Change, the government emphasised that economic growth and the elevation of living standards are its focal points.

It stated that a robust economy demands financial stability for employees and pledged stringent measures against businesses failing to pay staff appropriately. Reporting from the Daily Record revealed that 518 companies in the UK had withheld over £7.4 million in unpaid wages, violating the National Minimum Wage law and affecting nearly 60,000 workers.

The disclosures came from HMRC investigations conducted between 2015 and 2022. The businesses concerned subsequently reimbursed their workers and incurred penalties of up to 200 per cent of the wages owed. 

Justin Madders - Minister for Employment Rights - said, "There is no excuse for employers to undercut their workers, and we will continue to name companies who break the law and don't pay their employees what they are owed.

"Ensuring workers have the support they need and making sure they receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work is a key commitment in our Plan for Change. This will put more money in working people's pockets, helping to boost productivity and ending low pay."

Source: CambridgeshireLive

(Link and quote via original reporting)

In the UK, the Government has announced that employees who have been underpaid by their employers will be compensated with arrears payments in a new Make Work Pay initiative, CambridgeshireLive reports.

The move follows a National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase, which has given full-time workers an additional £1,400.

The Employment Rights Bill will reportedly bring the most significant enhancement of workers' rights for decades. Under the Plan for Change, the government emphasised that economic growth and the elevation of living standards are its focal points.

It stated that a robust economy demands financial stability for employees and pledged stringent measures against businesses failing to pay staff appropriately. Reporting from the Daily Record revealed that 518 companies in the UK had withheld over £7.4 million in unpaid wages, violating the National Minimum Wage law and affecting nearly 60,000 workers.

The disclosures came from HMRC investigations conducted between 2015 and 2022. The businesses concerned subsequently reimbursed their workers and incurred penalties of up to 200 per cent of the wages owed. 

Justin Madders - Minister for Employment Rights - said, "There is no excuse for employers to undercut their workers, and we will continue to name companies who break the law and don't pay their employees what they are owed.

"Ensuring workers have the support they need and making sure they receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work is a key commitment in our Plan for Change. This will put more money in working people's pockets, helping to boost productivity and ending low pay."

Source: CambridgeshireLive

(Link and quote via original reporting)