Earlier this year I blogged about changes being made to the penalty regime for employers who don’t pay the National Minimum Wage (NMW).
To coincide with NMW’s 15th anniversary, HMRC has revealed this year’s 10 worst excuses for not paying the correct amount. One of the best has to be the employer who claimed that a worker was his wife, but when asked her name said: “Err, her name? What’s your name, love?”
The National Minimum Wage is £6.31 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, increasing to £6.50 in October 2014. Last year, HMRC’s investigations resulted in over 26,000 people getting a share of £4 million in back pay.
HMRC investigates all complaints about employers failing to pay the minimum wage. And calls to the helpline from interns who are working for nothing, or for ‘expenses only’, are currently being fast-tracked to HMRC enforcement officers for investigation.
HMRC’s nationwide network of NMW enforcement teams investigate complaints, and educate employers and employees about what happens if they fail to pay employees what they’re owed.
Anyone who believes they are not being paid NMW can call the Pay and Work Rights Helpline, for confidential advice – in over 100 languages – on:
0800 917 2368.
