Four Tayside and Fife businesses have been ‘named and shamed’ by the UK Government for failing to pay minimum wage.
Perthshire luxury outdoor superstore House of Bruar is joined on the list by a Fife nursery, a Dundee car wash and a Fife bowling alley.
Investigations by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between 2017 and 2019 showed 202 firms across the UK failed to pay staff the minimum wage.
Tayside and Fife firms on HMRC list
- The House of Bruar Limited, Blair Atholl
- Tenpin (Scotland) Limited, trading as Pro Bowl, Glenrothes
- Mrs Patricia Jervis, trading as Bumble Beez, Dunfermline
- Sahara Global Ltd, trading as A1 Hand Car Wash, Dundee
House of Bruar managing director Patrick Birkbeck admitted there were “errors made” when it failed to pay £5,544 to 57 workers.
He said: “It came down to us running minibuses from Perth to House of Bruar and back.
“We charge £3 per journey for those – that is regardless of what people earn.
“For those on minimum wage, you then have to take that off an hourly rate, and that’s where we tripped up.
“For some people it was buses, and for others it was a weekly laundry charge. We charge £2.50 to wash their linen once a week.
“We held our hands up and we were completely transparent with HMRC.”
He said the firm also pays above minimum wage and has done “for a number of years”.
Dundee firm admits wages ‘oversight’
A1 Hand Car Wash, based at East Dock Street, failed to pay £1,088 to four workers.
Manager Imran Amir said it had been an “oversight”.
He added: “We now employ a mix of full-time and part-time staff, and they all receive the minimum wage.”
Pro Bowl Glenrothes failed to pay £5,175 to one worker.
Kevin Sands, who runs the bowling alley, said the payments were for a former manager who has since left the business.
He branded the decision “a farce”.
Mr Sands said: “The law against businesses is a complete farce.
“We just have to let them get on with things. We can prove that we paid minimum wage at all our sites.”
Dunfermline’s Bumble Beez failed to pay £1,769 to seven workers. The business was also contacted for comment.
The firms named have since paid back what they owe to their staff. They have also faced financial penalties.
‘We will not see people short-changed’
UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord said: “We will not see people short-changed for their hard work.
“By naming the firms, we are underlining the fact that paying the national minimum wage is not optional – it’s a legal requirement.”
Kevin Hollinrake, the UK government’s minister for enterprise, markets and small business, said: “Paying the legal minimum wage is non-negotiable.
“All businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working staff.
“We’re sending a clear message to the minority who ignore the law: pay your staff properly or you’ll face the consequences.”
