Jobs & HiringSep 2, 2026·2 min read

B&Q and Five Guys among firms that paid staff below minimum wage

BBC News – UK

bbc.co.uk

14h ago

B&Q and Five Guys among firms that paid staff below minimum wage

Summary

DIY store B&Q and the fast food chain Five Guys are among hundreds of UK businesses named by the government for paying staff below the minimum wage. More than 600 employers were ordered to pay affected workers the outstanding wages, with £4m returned to workers, according to the Department for Business and Trade. The firms have also been issued penalties worth £7m. B&Q said the underpayments were unintentional and the result of calculations involving geographical allowances, while Five Guys blamed "technical differences in how payroll regulations were applied". The list of 658 businesses includes shops, restaurants, nurseries, social care providers and a handful of NHS trusts. Minimum wage is £12.71 for staff aged 21 and over. "This relates to a technical compliance issue where part of their salary for a non tax-deductable 'salary sacrifice' (for example, towards childcare) was not counted towards the national minimum wage, even though their gross salary was above the national minimum wage," he said. The list marks the first "naming round" since the Fair Work Agency was set up in April under the Employment Rights Act. As well as enforcing the minimum wage, the agency also will soon tackle practices of denying workers holiday and sick pay. Chair of the agency's advisory board, Matthew Taylor, said naming employers which underpay staff was an important reminder that "paying the minimum wage is not optional - it is the law".

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More than 600 companies underpaid staff, with £4m returned to workers, according to the government.

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