SIX businesses around the Glasgow area were among those called out for failing to pay staff the minimum wage.

The UK Government office for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has released figures of businesses who have had to repay staff millions of pounds in underpayments and have faced huge financial penalties following the breach.

The full list of employers who underpaid workers in the Glasgow area are listed below.

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  • Airdrie decorating business Bell Decorating Group owed six employees over £2000 resulting in underpayments of around £350 each between 2016 and 2018.
  • Childcare business Mackin Childcare in Anniesland paid back more than £1700 to 14 employees resulting in a backdated payment of around £123 for underpayments of minimum wage between 2015 and 2018.
  • Sarah Hair and Beauty in the Southside owed two workers more than £1500 between 2014 and 2018.
  • Car Spa in Govan underpaid four employees by over £270 each totalling to just over £1000 between 2017 and 2018.
  • Hellcat Graphics, also in Airdrie owed one employee around £824 between 2017 and 2018.
  • Happy Days Out of School care owned over £500 to one worker after underpayments between 2017 and 2018.

According to the UK Government’s statistics, 37% of underpayments were due to deductions made to employee’s wages taking them under the minimum wage. The second top reason for underpayments were due to unpaid working time such as mandatory training or trial shifts. Sixteen per cent of businesses underpaid apprentices by failing to pay the correct rates and 11% failed to pay workers updated national minimum wage rates.

While many of these breaches of national minimum wage law were not deliberate, Scotland minister Malcolm Offord said there was “no excuse” for failure to follow employment law. He added: “The National Minimum Wage applies across the whole of the UK to make sure employees are paid fairly for hard work.

“Although not all minimum wage underpayments are deliberate, there’s no excuse for failing to uphold workers’ rights. I’m glad Scotland’s short-changed employees have now been paid back what they were owed.”

Bryan Sanderson Chair of the Low Pay Commission said:“The minimum wage is a success story welcomed by employees and employers alike, but it only works if everyone without exception obeys the law. We hope this latest naming round can continue to raise awareness of the most common mistakes businesses make and help protect low-paid workers from unfair treatment.”