HMRC Uncovers GBP 7.4M in Unpaid Wages – Thousands of UK Workers to Benefit

In a significant act of protecting workers’ rights, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have identified over GBP 7.4 million of unpaid wages to nearly 60,000 UK workers after a complex investigation into breaches of the National Minimum Wage by 518 businesses between 2015 and 2022.

The large corporations Capita, Pizza Express, British Airways, Lidl and Halfords have all been named for not complying with their legal obligations concerning wages. Capita was the worst offender, with GBP 1.15m of unpaid wages owed to 5,543 workers, mainly due to various issues such as call centre employees not being paid for a setup time. Pizza Express was found to owe GBP 760,701 in unpaid wages to 8,470 employees, while British Airways had underpaid GBP 231,276 to 2,165 cabin crew during their onboarding phase. All the businesses involved have now paid back the sums and changed procedures to ensure it does not happen again.

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The Department for Business and Trade highlighted the role of compliance and urged employers to adhere to the wage laws, warning that employers who violate the law will continue to be publicly named. This is part of the government’s broader commitment to ensuring fair pay and improving worker rights.