Employment relations minister Gerry Sutcliffe has announced that more than 5,000 low paid workers across the UK have received a pay boost following a crackdown on employers who fail to pay workers the national minimum wage.
The Inland Revenue minimum wage enforcements team has uncovered nearly £1.8 million in wage arrears over the past seven months, and 3,607 cases were identified during the period.
Sutcliffe said: “Most employers in the UK are complying with the minimum wage because they know that decent wages mean a motivated workforce, but a small percentage still refuse to comply.
“I'm delighted that this pay boost has been identified in time for Christmas and hope that the employers work hard to ensure payment of the arrears as soon as possible.”
The total wage arrears since the introduction of the national minimum wage in April 1999 is now more than £14m.