Pathetic excused by UK bosses for not paying minimum wage
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The most pathetical and feeble excuses made by employers for not paying the minimum wage have been published by government officials.

Underpaying bosses gave a series of ludicrous reasons to HM Revenue and Customs which included that they thought they didn't have to pay foreign employees the minimum wage, or shop floor staff if they weren't serving customers.

One employer complained that a female member of staff "doesn't deserve the national minimum wage because she only makes the teas and sweeps the floors".

Another added: "My accountant and I speak a different language - he doesn't understand me and that's why he doesn't pay my workers the correct wages."

The excuses were released as part of a government awareness campaign ahead of an increase in the national minimum wage for people over 24 to £7.50 from April 1.

It also provides a warning for employers of fines, and as a reminder for people to check that they are being paid what they are legally entitled to.

Business minister Margot James has said (as quoted by the BBC): "There are no excuses for underpaying staff what they are legally entitled to.

"This campaign will raise awareness among the lowest paid in society about what they must legally receive and I would encourage anyone who thinks they may be paid less to contact Acas as soon as possible."

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Currently, all UK employees must be paid at least £7.20 an hour if they are 25 or over as part of the National Living Wage, while workers aged 21 to 24 must be paid a minimum of £6.95 an hour.

Stewart Gee of Acas - the advisory service which provides free employment advice - added: "We welcome this new government awareness campaign, as there are no good excuses for not paying staff what they are legally entitled to.

"Employers are breaking the law if they do not pay the national minimum wage and businesses face a maximum fine of £20,000 per worker for not paying the national living wage. Failure to pay the national living wage could also result in a company director being banned for up to 15 years."

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Naomi Gordon

Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.