A BUSINESS based in Denbighshire has been caught failing to pay two of its employees minimum wage totalling more than £7,000.
Hundreds of UK employers have been told to repay more than £7.3million in wages owed to workers after failing to pay the minimum wage, the Government has announced.
Ministers said around £12.6million has also been paid in penalties issued to 389 employers.
Businesses in sectors including social care, sports and retail were among those failing to comply with minimum wage laws, said the Government.
Included on the list is Godfrey Group Facilities Limited, Ruthin, which failed to pay £7,253.39 to two workers.
The group was originally founded and based in Denbigh, but moved its head office to the Pool Park Estate, Ruthin, in 2023.
Andrew Godfrey, managing director of the Godfrey Group, said it was an "oversight" and was "not something we do as a company".
He told the Free Press: "We employed, at that time, over 400 people, and that was an oversight on two people.
"It's not something we do as a company, we employ hundreds of staff so it's obviously not something we do.
"We have being going for 15 years and it's the only time it's happened and in those years we employed thousands of staff so for two to have slipped through the net is something that hasn't happened previously and hasn't happened since."
The UK
Around 60,000 workers across the UK were found to have been underpaid.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: “The vast majority of businesses in this country do the right thing by paying their staff properly and playing by the rules.
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“It’s not fair on them when others are able to get ahead by not paying the wages their workers are owed.
“A good employer doesn’t build their business on the back of unpaid wages, and I look forward to working with the new Fair Work Agency to ensure its powers are used to crack down on those who think the rules don’t apply to them.”
The Government added that this is the first “naming round” since the Chancellor’s budget commitment to publish details more frequently, believing it puts more pressure on employers to keep their payroll up to date and boost workers’ confidence that when they are treated poorly by their boss, swift justice will follow.
Fair day's pay
Employment rights minister Kate Dearden said: “Nobody should finish a week’s work and find they’ve been paid less than they’ve earned. I believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
“That’s why we’re cracking down on employers who underpay. We’re making sure workers get the hard earned pay they deserve.
“I encourage every employer to check their payroll to ensure they don’t get caught out.”
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