A COLCHESTER restaurant and bar firm has been “named and shamed” as part of a Government list of 200 businesses alleged to have “fallen short” of paying staff a minimum wage.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy released a list of companies which they say failed to pay their lowest paid staff a minimum wage.

Listed in the Colchester area were the Elysium Leisure and Adams Leisure Ltd, which operate bars and restaurants in the town including Hudson and the Pavilion.

The Government claimed Elysium Leisure had failed to pay £4,406 to 64 workers from dates in 2014 to 2016, while Adams Leisure had failed to pay £1,513 to 15 workers from dates in 2015 to 2017.

However, a spokesman for Adams Leisure and the Elysium Group said any staff affected by the issue, which related to staff uniform deposits, had been recompensed in full.

She said: “The matter related to historical payments with respect to staff uniform deposits which had caught a significant number of UK operators out.

“As soon as we became aware of this, the company policy was updated and the small number of staff involved recompensed in full.”

Also referenced in Colchester was Little Polar Bear Ltd, which the Government said had since dissolved in 2019 and had failed to pay £1,062 to four workers from dates in 2017 to 2018.

The Government department said the 208 employers listed in its report were found to have failed to pay their workers £1.2million in a “clear breach” of national minimum wage law, leaving about 12,000 workers out of pocket.

Companies were said to have underpaid workers by making deductions reducing minimum wage pay, for example, by putting workers out of pocket in complying with a dress code.

Other firms underpaid through failing to pay for mandatory training, trial shifts or travel time, or by failing to pay the correct rates to apprentices.

Bryan Sanderson, chairman of the Low Pay Commission, said: “The minimum wage is a success story welcomed by employees and employers alike, but it only works if everyone, without exception, obeys the law.

“We hope this latest naming round can continue to raise awareness of the most common mistakes businesses make and help protect low-paid workers from unfair treatment.”

The investigations by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs concluded between 2014 and 2019.

Minister for Labour Markets Paul Scully said: "We want workers to know that we're on their side and they must be treated fairly by their employers, which is why paying the legal minimum wage should be non-negotiable for businesses.

Don't be a scrooge

"Today's 208 businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working employees, regardless of whether it was intentional or not.

"With Christmas fast approaching, it is more important than ever that cash is not withheld from the pockets of workers. So don't be a scrooge - pay your staff properly."

Who else has been shamed?

You can use the table below to find all businesses in the UK which have been named and shamed by the government: