Payroll firm failed to pay workers minimum wage

A payroll company has appeared on a government list of firms which failed to pay workers the minimum wage.

Omnia Outsourcing, based in Reading, Berkshire, owed £8,250.95 to 14 workers, according to the new list.

It is among nearly 400 companies in the UK, including Costa and nursery chain Busy Bees, which have been told to repay more than £7.3m owed to employees.

The BBC has contacted Omnia Outsourcing for comment.

Other Berkshire companies named by the government as failing to pay minimum wage were R Maidenhead Opco, in Maidenhead, and Laureus Developments Limited, in Reading.

High-profile companies across the UK included on the list are Costa, Bupa and Hays Travel.

From April, wages are due to increase again, with workers aged 21 and over due to earn at least £12.71 an hour, 18 to 20-year-olds due to earn at least £10.85 and apprentices and under-18s £8.

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.

"It's not fair on them when others are able to get ahead by not paying the wages their workers are owed."

Employment rights minister Kate Dearden encouraged employers to double-check their payrolls.

She 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."

Several companies who paid their staff thousands below the minimum wage have apologised, including B&M, which said it "takes our obligations to our employees extremely seriously".

The largest unpaid wages were amassed by ISS Mediclean Limited, which failed to pay £1.5m to 6,580 workers.

R Maidenhead Opco and Laureus Developments could not be reached for comment.