https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k3dpe5yeeo

Twenty-eight businesses in Northern Ireland have been named for failing to pay their employees the minimum wage, according to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

This comes after a significant uplift to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage came into effect in April.

The department said 518 employers across the UK have been ordered to repay workers over £7.4 million after nearly 60,000 workers have been left out of pocket.

This includes 28 employers in Northern Ireland.

The businesses have since paid back what they owe to their staff and faced financial penalties of up to 200% of their underpayment.

Minister for Employment Rights Justin Madders 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."

"This will put more money in working people's pockets, helping to boost productivity and ending low pay," he added.
What are the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage?

The National Living Wage went up from £11.44 an hour to £12.21.

The government said the increase was worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker.

The National Living Wage has applied to employees aged 21 and over since April 2024. Previously, you had to be 23.

The pay rates are set by the government every year on the advice of an independent group, the Low Pay Commission

Younger employees – aged between 16 and 20 – receive the National Minimum Wage.

For 18, 19 and 20-year-olds, it rose from £8.60 an hour to £10 on 1 April.

The government said the increase is worth £2,500 for an eligible full-time worker.

For 16 and 17-year-olds, the National Minimum Wage rose from £6.40 an hour to £7.55, an 18% increase.

The separate apprentice rate, which applies to eligible people under 19 – or those over 19 in the first year of an apprenticeship increased by the same amount.
NI employers named by department

  1. Property Management Services NI Limited in Belfast – 414 employees owed over £136

  2. Elliot's auto engineering in North Antrim – 1 employee owed over £17,000

  3. Winemark in North Belfast – 186 employees owed over £84

  4. Benedicts in south Belfast – 391 employees owed £37

  5. Philip Russell Limited in Belfast – 111 employees owed £94

  6. Regency Hotel in Belfast – 201 employees owed £99

  7. Wine Inns Ltd in Belfast – 103 employees owed £90

  8. Building Blocks Day nursery in Mid ulster – 45 employees owed £123

  9. City Office NI Ltd – 2 employees owed £1,800

  10. Whistledown Hotel in South Down – 46 employees owed £46

  11. RJ Ferguson in Mid Ulster – 3 employees owed £670

  12. CPM Electrical in Fermanagh- 4 employees owed £484

  13. The Village store in West Tyrone – 1 employee owed £1725

  14. Spice restaurant in Lagan Valley – 3 employees owed £552

  15. R Loughlin Electrical in west Tyrone – 3 employees owed £514

  16. Annavale Joinery Works – 4 employees owed £366

  17. Colemans Garden Centre – 35 employees owed £41

  18. McAleer and McGarrity in Mid Ulster – 2 employees owed £603

  19. Trinity Park Nursery – 17 employees owed £60

  20. Birdies Day nursery – 8 employees owed £102

  21. The Sooty Olive in Derry – 33 employees owed £24

  22. Kids Korner nurseries in Belfast – 23 employees owed £33

  23. Safe Gas NI Ltd – 1 employee owed £639

  24. Kanto Stranmillis Ltd – 1 employee owed £590

  25. Happy Children Nursery in Strangford – 12 employees owed £47

  26. Euro Hand car wash – 7 employees owed £76

  27. Ardmore Pre-cast concrete Ltd – 1 employee owed £525

  28. Timberquay Ltd in Derry – 14 employees owed £16

by heresmewhaa

19 comments

  1. >Spice restaurant in Lagan Valley – 3 employees owed £552

    The one in Lisburn? Ppl always recommend it but I’ve found it to be pretty terrible.

  2. Safe Gas NI Ltd- can’t say I’m in love with the idea that the person checking to make sure my gas installation doesn’t kill my family isn’t being paid minimum wage.

  3. so many of them being nurseries, as someone who has worked in childcare that tracks lol

  5. I wonder if the companies were approached before this was published?

    No complaints about companies owing hundreds to employees being shamed – but 0.09 a worker seems like some sort of payroll error that could have been fixed after a quiet word.

  6. Euro Hand car wash – 7 employees owed £76

    Couldn’t be right. Those car wash places are straight edge not a dodgy thing about them.

  8. Winemark and Wine Inns. Don’t even pay them minimum wage then they ask the employees to deal with belligerent drunks.

  9. 14 employees owed 16£ is a bit of a stretch for a headline. 17k on the other hand

  10. That’s wild how many are linked to the Russell’s group ie winemark and property management services ni! I knew I knew the name, it’s who I got paid by when I worked in Russell’s food and drink. They under paid us and a load of us got random payments from them several years after leaving. Pure sleezy company.

  11. how the fuck is benedicts employing that many people

  12. Bit weird seeing people upset that a company is being named for possibly underpaying staff by a small amount. Regardless if it’s underpaid by 17 grand or 17p I doubt these companies would let you away with either amount so fuck them. 

  13. Both Timberquay and Sooty Olive restaurants closed down recently.

  15. How can 1 person be owed £17k?

    They were either getting paid 0, or working more than 24 hours a day.

  16. Lynas is known for underpaying employees in Coleraine.

  17. Wasn’t expecting the whistledown hotel to be there

  18. I remember reporting an employer to HMRC for underpaying me and they dismissed it, as they worked out an average over the time I worked there (2 years) and said it brought it over the amount. Even though in the first year I was getting underpaid, because they increased my rate the second year it covered the first year? Make it make sense. 🤷🏼‍♀️

  19. For anyone not aware. Phillip Russell Limited is the Russell’s shops/off licence. Feel free to boycott.

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