A total of 139 companies did not pay £ 6.7 million ($ 9.1 million) to thousands of workers, the government said on Thursday. The cases were investigated between 2016 and 2018.
The current minimum wage in the UK is £ 8.72 ($ 11.91) for workers aged 25 and over.
The supermarket chain said it was “extremely disappointed and surprised to have been included in this list”, stating that it identified the non-payment of the minimum wage in 2017 and informed the government at the time.
“In 2017, we identified a technical problem that meant that the payment of some colleagues inadvertently fell below the National Minimum Wage. We are very sorry that this has happened and we have proactively reported the problem,” Tesco said in a statement sent to CNN Business.
“All of our colleagues were reimbursed in full and we immediately changed our policies to prevent this from happening again. In most cases, the reimbursement was £ 10 or less,” he added.
Pizza Hut has been identified for not paying nearly £ 846,000 to 10,980 workers. CNN Business contacted the fast food chain for comment.
Superdrug, one of Britain’s largest pharmaceutical firms, was also included on the list, accused of not paying 2,222 workers more than £ 15,000 ($ 20,475).
Superdrug said in a statement to CNN Business that the error occurred in 2018. “As soon as we were notified, we quickly reimburse current employees and retirees, working with HMRC [Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs] to ensure that they have been fully compensated, “said Superdrug, adding that his policy has since changed.
“Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it is the law,” UK Business Minister Paul Scully said in a statement. “It is never acceptable for any employer to replace their employees, but it is especially disappointing to see big names in the family who absolutely should know more about this list.”