Walsall Council has been fined £34,082 for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage to 36 employees, including apprentices and lunchtime supervisors, at four schools within the borough. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) uncovered the underpayments, which amounted to a total of £21,890.67 in missed wages.
The council promptly repaid the withheld earnings and has accepted the fine imposed by the DBT. A spokesperson for Walsall Council emphasized that this issue was isolated to a small number of school-based cases and did not reflect broader council employment practices. They stated, “Walsall Council takes its responsibilities as an employer very seriously and fully cooperated with HMRC throughout this process. All underpayments were corrected at the earliest opportunity.”
Walsall Council employs around 3,000 people and was one of 389 employers publicly named by the DBT for wage violations, ranking 33rd on the list. Notably, it was the only local authority included.
READ MORE: DWP Urged to Halt Universal Credit Payments to 1.5 Million Migrant Claimants
READ MORE: UK Tourists Stranded in Spain Due to New Passport Rules Impacting Dual Nationals
Other regional organizations also faced penalties, such as Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd in Burntwood, which failed to pay over £485,000 to more than 9,000 workers, placing it fourth on the list. Jooced Custom Sound & Vision Ltd in Wolverhampton, Manor Court Healthcare Ltd, and Wm. Wheat & Son Limited in Walsall also appeared on the list for underpayments ranging from £2,500 to nearly £14,000.
Across the country, the government has collected £12.6 million in penalties from employers who underpaid minimum wage to their workers, in addition to requiring full repayment of the outstanding wages.