B&Q and Five Guys Among Firms Named for Paying Staff Below Minimum Wage

B&Q and Five Guys are among 658 UK businesses named by the government for paying staff below the minimum wage, with more than 600 employers ordered to repay affected workers £4m and issued £7m in penalties, according to BBC. B&Q underpaid 4,530 workers by more than £456,000, while Five Guys owed over £54,000 to 3,699 staff. The government said the list also included shops, restaurants, nurseries, social care providers and some NHS trusts, but did not say over what period the underpayments occurred. B&Q said the shortfalls were unintentional and linked to calculations involving geographical allowances. Five Guys said technical differences in how payroll regulations were applied led to the underpayments, which were identified in an HMRC review. The first 10 employers on the government list included Elysium Healthcare Holdings 3, St George's, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group, and Merlin Cinemas. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government was determined to stamp out the practice, while minister Kate Dearden said underpaying staff is illegal.