
Lidl, pizza express, and british airways failed by not paying minimum wage
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THE DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS AND TRADE (DBT) HAS LISTED 500 COMPANIES THAT HAVE FAILED TO PAY WORKERS MINIMUM WAGE 10:00, 30 May 2025 Lidle, Pizza Express, and British Airways are among 500
companies "named and shamed" by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) for failing to pay staff members minimum wage. The list includes big names such as the aforementioned
three, along with small businesses and sole traders. HMRC's investigation found that 60,000 workers were illegally underpaid by companies between 2015 and 2022. READ MORE: FULL LIST OF
NATWEST BANK BRANCH CLOSURES IN JUNE AS 53 SHUTTING DOWN IN 2025 Now, £7.4 million has been repaid to workers following an investigation that led to backpayments. All of which have now been
agreed, which is why this list has now been made public, according to a department spokesperson. Article continues below Employers have been forced to repay what they owed, and have faced
financial penalties of up to 200% of the underpayment. Pizza Express failed to pay £760,702 to 8,470 workers, equating to around £90 each. A spokesperson for the restaurant chain said: “Once
we were made aware of this historic unintentional technicality, which occurred between 2012 and 2018, we swiftly identified who was impacted, apologised and rectified. “There’s nothing more
important to us than fairly and accurately paying our team members.” British Airways also failed to pay £231,276 to 2,165 workers. The company an audit in 2017 revealed that “we had
accidentally, slightly underpaid some of our cabin crew who joined us between 2014 and 2017 during their first two months of employment. We apologised and issued backdated payments several
years ago.” Additionally, Lidl underpaid 3,423 workers by an average of £83.68, while Halfords underpaid 4,341 staff by £32.44 each. A spokesperson for Halfords said: “The rates that we pay
our colleagues are competitive and are at or above the minimum wage. "However, in 2021 we found some historical work-related costs that should have been met by us as the employer rather
than our colleagues. Article continues below "We moved quickly to identify those impacted in order to make the necessary payments. All of the costs involved are now met by the
company.” 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."