Go Outdoors among firms fined for underpaying staff

Go Outdoors is among the latest firms to be named by the Government for failing to pay some of their staff the minimum wage.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) released a list of 491 employers that underpaid workers over several years.

They will pay a fine amounting to a combined £10.2 million as a result of breaking the rules.

It means pay for some staff fell short of the national minimum wage, or the national living wage, which is what the Government calls the minimum wage for those aged over 21.

In total, around 42,000 people have been repaid by their employers after being left out of pocket, the DBT said.

High street retailer Go Outdoors was also identified by the DBT in its latest naming round.

The business was number seven on the list, owing £240,106 to 2,058 workers.

The national living wage was £11.44 in the year to the end of March, and has risen to £12.21 since April.

The minimum wage for 18-20-year-olds rose to £10 this year, and for apprentices and those aged under 18 it rose to £7.55.

The DBT released a list of more than 500 employers in June that underpaid workers between 2015 and 2022, including Pizza Express, Lidl and British Airways.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: "Every worker deserves a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and this government will not tolerate rogue employers who short-change their staff.

"I know that no employer wants to end up on one of these lists. But our Plan to Make Work Pay cracks down on those not playing by the rules."

A spokeswoman for Go Outdoors said: "The payments made by Go Outdoors in 2022 relate to practices pre-dating the acquisition and integration of the business by JD Sports following an HMRC review.

"All payments that were due to colleagues and HMRC were settled in 2022."