July 04, 2011
More than 1,000 Welsh employers have been in breach of minimum wage regulations for almost 10 years without prosecution, according to the Welsh government.
According to information obtained by Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood, more than £1.4m in wage underpayments has happened in Wales since 2002, with over 3,400 workers denied the full minimum wage during that time.
“Low paid workers must be protected but the law must be brought down as hard on employers as it is with benefit fraud,” Ms Wood told Wales Online.
“I was told by the coalition government last year that it had asked Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to press for prosecution where there is clear evidence that the employer has committed an offence. Well, nothing has happened in Wales.”
According to statements issued by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skill (BIS) earlier this year, employers who breach minimum wage rules would be 'named and shamed', with their details made available to the public through via a press release.
However, such warnings have not come to fruition so far, despite widespread public approval for the BIS’ ideas.
Under current systems, there are several different levels of NMW, depending on your age and whether you are an apprentice. The current rates are:
· £5.93 - the main rate for workers aged 21 and over
· £4.92 - the 18-20 rate
· £3.64 - the 16-17 rate for workers above school leaving age but under 18
· £2.50 - the apprentice rate, for apprentices under 19 or 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship
