Two South Holland business are among more than 350 employers “named and shamed” by the government for underpaying staff.
Paula Leverton, trading as Fourwinds Equestrian Centre in West Pinchbeck, and Wykeham Staff Services, of Holbeach Road, Spalding, are on what the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy says is the largest-ever published list of national minimum and living wage offenders.
For the first time, the naming list includes employers who failed to pay eligible workers at least the new National Living Wage rate – currently £7.20 for workers aged 25 and over.
Labour provider Wykeham Staff Services failed to pay £660.76 to 16 workers.
Company director Terry Payne said the issue happened more than two years old and once the mistake was highlighted, the workers were paid what were they were owed and compensated.
It related to a misunderstanding over break allowance and amounted to five hours each for the 16 people “over a couple of weeks”.
He said: “It was incorrect information passed to us via a timesheet and it was rectified as soon as it was noted.
“We have been trading in the local area for 17 years and have never had anything like this in the past.”
Meanwhile, Mrs Leverton failed to pay £876.42 to one worker.
“All our staff were interviewed and records inspected and one part time worker’s pay was found to be incorrect. The person worked part-time and received money and livery for their horse and lessons. What we should have done was pay them the full amount minus deductions then taken off the owed amount.
“Once we were told of our underpayment we paid the outstanding amount immediately. This was over two years ago and we now operate deductions for horse livery etc, as HMRC requested.”!
