Tag: UK Government

£15.6 million underpayment identified for workers on the minimum wage

More than 200,000 workers who were paid less than the minimum wage have been identified following a record government clampdown.

  • Record £15.6 million of underpayment identified for more than 200,000 workers
  • Employers fined unprecedented £14 million for not meeting legal obligations
  • More than 600 employers named in 2017/18 as part of ‘naming’ rounds
  • Ramped up efforts by HMRC to crackdown on underpayment and boost compliance

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) achieved record enforcement results this year, identifying £15.6million of underpayments.

The number of workers identified as underpaid was double that in 2016/17 and the highest number since the National Minimum Wage came into force. In every case, the government instructs employers to repay their workers and enforces the return of the missing cash.

The rise in cases follows increased efforts by HMRC to promote compliance and improve employer awareness of the minimum wage.

Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst, said: “We are dedicated to stopping underpayment of the minimum wage. Employers must recognise their responsibilities and pay their workers the money they are entitled to.

“The UK’s lowest paid workers have had the fastest wage growth in 20 years thanks to the National Living Wage and today’s figures serve as a reminder to all employers to check they are getting their workers’ pay right.”

Over the past year, 56 employers took advantage of a HMRC pilot scheme where employers were encouraged to come forward outside of an investigation. This resulted in nearly £250,000 in arrears being declared for just under 700 workers.
The year also set a new record for penalties issued by the government, with £14 million in fines issued to employers.

More than 600 employers who were found to have underpaid their workers the minimum wage were named in 2017/18. This is the largest number in any single year since the scheme began in 2014.

This year, the social care, retail, commercial warehousing and gig economy sectors have been prioritised by HMRC for enforcement of the minimum wage. This is alongside employment agencies, apprentices and migrant workers. These sectors are where non-compliance with National Minimum Wage is believed to be more widespread.

Penny Ciniewicz, HMRC Director General of Customer Compliance, said:
“HMRC is committed to ensuring that workers receive the wages they are legally entitled to, irrespective of their employer’s size or business sector, and today’s figures highlight our success over the last year.

“If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 in confidence or submit a query online through our complaints form.”

Low Pay Commission Chairman Bryan Sanderson said: “All workers are entitled to be paid at least the minimum wage, so it is good to see increased focus on enforcement bearing fruit and securing more arrears for more workers.

“Awareness of the minimum wage is vital for workers and employers alike, and strong enforcement is critical to its success.”

Funding for minimum wage enforcement has reached record levels, rising to £26.3 million in 2018/19 from £20 million in 2016/17.

For more information about your pay, or if you think you might be being underpaid, get advice and guidance at www.gov.uk/checkyourpay. Workers can also seek advice from workplace experts Acas.

 

Overwhelming public backing in fight against plastic pollution

UK Government announces record-breaking public support for reducing single-use plastics and boosting recycling through the tax system.

Individuals, businesses and campaign groups have expressed overwhelming support for action on tackling the impact of plastics on our environment. Continue reading Overwhelming public backing in fight against plastic pollution

Protecting pedestrians: cracking down on careless cyclists

Consultation to look at whether a new offence equivalent to causing death by careless or dangerous driving should be introduced for dangerous cyclists.

Continue reading Protecting pedestrians: cracking down on careless cyclists

Billion-pound backing for “catapult centres”!

  • £780m of extra funding for high-tech hubs
  • This builds on £180m announced last month for North East
  • £96m of extra funding for high-tech hub in Scotland
  • Backing for British expertise at 40-year high
  • Latest GDP figures confirm economy continues to grow

Britain’s world-leading researchers and entrepreneurs will benefit from an additional £780 million to create the technologies of tomorrow, the Chancellor announced yesterday. Continue reading Billion-pound backing for “catapult centres”!

Leaders sign off City Deal

£1.3 Billion boost for local economy

Prime Minister Theresa May and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined council, business and academia leaders to formally sign off the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal yesterday.

The £1.3 billion deal will deliver inclusive economic growth across the region through housing, innovation, transport, skills and culture. The Scottish Government and the UK Government will each invest £300 million over the next 15 years.

The Scottish Government’s investment will contribute towards 41,000 new homes, 21,000 jobs and improve the skills of an estimated 14,700 people.

The Scottish Government’s investment in the City Region includes:

•         £60 million towards a Data Driven Innovation programme of investment, including the creation of economic infrastructure across the region to ensure that businesses and communities across the region are fully able to engage in the resulting opportunities
•         £65 million towards a regional housing programme, including the creation of a new housing company and housing infrastructure funding to enable the delivery of 41,000 new homes
•         £120 million for transport improvements to Sheriffhall Roundabout
•         £20 million for public transport improvements in West Edinburgh
•         £25 million for an Integrated Regional Employability & Skills Programme to reduce skills shortages and gaps and deliver opportunities for people across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders
•         £10m towards a new concert venue for the city, providing a home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and reinforcing Edinburgh’s reputation as a leading centre for music and the performing arts.

In addition, the Scottish Government is also providing Edinburgh Festivals with a £5 million investment over the next five years to fund The Platforms for Creative Excellence (PLaCE) programme which supports new innovative programming and skills development opportunities across the capital’s 11 major festivals between 2018-2023.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Edinburgh and the South East of Scotland is an area of huge importance to the Scottish economy.  The region contains over a quarter of Scotland’s population and contributes £33 billion to the Scottish and UK economies.

“The Scottish Government’s £300 million investment in the City Region Deal will contribute towards 41,000 new homes, 21,000 jobs and improve the skills of an estimated 14,700 people across the region. Our investments will ensure businesses and communities from across the region benefit from the opportunities created by this the city region deal.

“Taken together these projects will help the region continue to thrive and grow, fulfilling our ambitions for the region to be one of the fairest and most inclusive areas in the country.”

Prime Minister Theresa May said:  “It is fantastic to be here at the University of Edinburgh to sign off on the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal.

“We are in one of the great cities of our United Kingdom, at a time of year when it serves not just as the capital of Scotland but as the cultural capital of the world.

I had the privilege of experiencing first-hand some of the cultural riches that the Edinburgh Festivals have to offer earlier today, and a great pleasure it was to do so. The Festivals are an international calling-card for Edinburgh and the surrounding area and when people come to take part in them they find a city and a region that has huge potential for the future. You see it clearly in the imagination and creativity on display here every August.

“But you see it too in the innovative and ground-breaking work that goes on in this city and area all year round. In great universities and colleges. In high-tech businesses. In financial and legal services hubs.

This is a city and a region that has so much to offer Scotland, the UK and indeed the world.

“The Edinburgh and South East City Deal is all about building on those strengths to open up new opportunities for the future in the creative industries, in research, in housing, in transport and in skills, and it will have a lasting legacy.

The UK and Scottish Governments are both helping to build the IMPACT Concert Hall – a new venue to cement Edinburgh’s place as the world’s Festival City.

The City Deal partners also want to turn Edinburgh into the Data Capital of Europe.

“So we are providing capital investment to develop new data storage and analysis technology here in Edinburgh. This great new facility, the Bayes Centre, will open in the autumn with UK Government investment, and will provide shared working spaces for applied data science and artificial intelligence research teams.

“It is one of five hubs across the city that will use data technology to support research and development activity in sectors of the future, from fin-tech and robotics to bio tech and health sciences. I want the UK to lead the world in these technologies. I want us to have the best regulation, the most advanced research and the most lucrative commercial applications.

“The City Deal will put Edinburgh at the cutting edge of that work and it is exciting to think about the future possibilities that this investment will open up. UK City and Growth Deals are a key part of our Modern Industrial Strategy. The UK Government has already committed over £1 billion to them here in Scotland.

Five have been signed, and three more are being negotiated.

“Just like the Modern Industrial Strategy as a whole, they are a partnership between Government at all levels, business and academia to combine our resources and to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. Because I believe we can achieve far more together than we ever could apart.

“So thank you to all the Deal partners for your work to get us here: The University of Edinburgh, who have hosted us today, as well as Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University, and Queen Margaret University.

“To the local authorities: Edinburgh City Council, Midlothian Council, East Lothian Council, West Lothian Council, Scottish Borders Council and Fife Council. And of course our colleagues in the Scottish Government.

“This is a great day for the south-east of Scotland and an exciting step towards a brighter future for this wonderful part of the UK.”

Armistice Day centenary: ring any bells?

Faith Minister Lord Bourne is calling on people across the nation to get involved in ‘Ringing Remembers’ as the country marks 100 years since the end of the First World War.

The UK government funded ‘Ringing Remembers’ project aims to recruit 1,400 new bell ringers to take part in Armistice Day 2018 commemorations as the First World War Centenary programme reaches a seminal moment. Continue reading Armistice Day centenary: ring any bells?

Fighting the fat cat culture?

UK’s biggest firms will have to justify pay gap between bosses and their workers

Big firms will have to justify their chief executives’ salaries and reveal the gap to their average UK worker, under new laws to be laid in the Westminster Parliament tomorrow (Monday 11 June). Continue reading Fighting the fat cat culture?