Kettering employers named and shamed for failing to pay worker minimum wage

Two people have been named and shamed after they didn’t pay a Kettering shop worker the minimum wage.

Dipak Popat and Kushika Popat, who traded as News & Booze, owed £582.92 to an employee although it has not been revealed how low the worker’s wage was.

It’s understood they were involved with the former News & Booze store in Rockingham Road, which closed and has since reopened under a new name with new owners, although a Department for Business and Trade spokesman was unable to confirm this.

The pair are among more than 500 employers to be named for failing to pay the minimum wage.

They have since paid back what they owed and have faced financial penalties of up to 200 per cent of their underpayment after investigations by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said: “Employees deserve to get paid properly for the hard work they put in.

“While the majority of businesses already do the right thing and pay their staff what they are owed, this announcement sends a message to the minority who aren’t – that there are repercussions to undercutting hard work from their staff.”

The firms who have paid back the most:

Staffline Recruitment Limited, Nottingham, failed to pay £5,125,270.93 to 36,767 workers.

Rank Group Gaming Division Limited, Maidenhead, failed to pay £962,504.92 to 5,629 workers.

Estee Lauder Cosmetics Limited, Westminster, failed to pay £894,980.43 to 5,933 workers.

Pilgrim’s Pride Ltd (Previously Tulip Limited), Warwick, failed to pay £597,299.65 to 2,698 workers.

Mitchells & Butlers PLC, Birmingham, failed to pay £565,094.87 to 16,187 workers.