Birmingham hospital trust and Wolverhampton's Royal School among employers who failed to pay workers the minimum wage

British Gas owner Centrica, EG Group and Holland & Barrett were also 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 between 2018 and 2023.

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.

West Midlands companies who failed to pay minimum wage:

The Royal School, Wolverhampton, failed to pay £3,912.97 to one worker. The school said the non-payment related to an "individual, historic and complex case".

A spokesperson told the Express & Star: "The Royal School Wolverhampton is aware of the matter referenced in the Government’s recent publication. The situation related to an individual, historic and complex case which, once identified, was reviewed and fully resolved with both the individual and the relevant authorities."

Genting Casinos UK Limited, of Birmingham, failed to pay £303,936.69 to 1,583 workers. The company said it was down to a "historic misunderstanding" of the legislation and primarily related to employees' "voluntary salary sacrifice" and other schemes.

A Genting spokesperson told the Express & Star: “Genting Casinos UK takes its obligations as an employer very seriously, paying the National Living Wage and providing a wide range of attractive, flexible benefits to employees. 

"This matter relates to an historic misunderstanding of what is very complex legislation. The situation occurred, and was dealt with, more than three years ago and related primarily to optional and voluntary salary sacrifice and Christmas Savings Club schemes. We rectified matters with affected employees as soon as we were made aware of the inadvertent breach of the legislation and amended our practices accordingly.

"Genting is a people-first business, recognised as a Top 50 employer in the Inspiring Workplace Awards 2025. Our extensive benefits package includes a 24/7 free private GP helpline and company-funded health cash plan, and a wellbeing hub which includes an employee assistance programme and financial wellbeing support."

The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), which runs the Good Hope Hospital, Heartlands Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and Solihull Hospital, failed to pay £8,086.15 to 27 workers.

A UHB spokesperson said the underpayment was down to some apprentices' age-related pay adjustments not being applied correctly during the Covid-19 pandemic when its payroll team "faced exceptional pressures".

“We regret that we inadvertently made a series of small underpayments, totalling just over £8,000, to 27 colleagues in 2021 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic," the spokesperson said. "When this was discovered, the trust took immediate steps to understand the extent of the issue, and we thank our colleagues for their patience at that time as we worked to put it right for them.”

Jhoots Healthcare Limited, Walsall, failed to pay £6,629.43 to 39 workers.

Meanwhile Nexus Care Services, of Sutton Coldfield, failed to pay £12,803.62 to 58 workers.

The company told the Express & Star the underpayment was "unintentional" and that it has subsequently improved its "internal processes".

Tinga Umera, managing director at Nexus Care Services, said: “On January 18, 2022, we voluntarily reached out to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) as part of a self-review to ensure that we were meeting the National Minimum Wage (NMW) requirements.

“Any issues in relation to the NMW prior to this were entirely unintentional and upon notification from HMRC we took immediate steps to address the points raised. We have subsequently reviewed and improved our internal processes in line with HMRC’s guidance to mitigate any future risk of non-compliance.

“Our values as an employer are centred around our commitment to meeting all legal and regulatory requirements and to ensuring our team is fairly compensated for their incredible work. We proudly pay well above the NMW requirements and continue to enhance the range of benefits available to our team. We also continue to work proactively with HMRC to ensure we follow best practice and strive to be a leading, ethical employer in our sector.”

Compass Services (UK) Limited, based in Birmingham, failed to pay £5,169.07 to two workers.

A spokesperson for Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “Following an HMRC audit of our systems and processes in relation to the National Minimum Wage legislation, it was found that two employees, out of 70,000 on our payroll, were inaccurately paid due to human error.

"This error occurred in 2020 and was the result of the complexities related to furlough during Covid. As soon as we became aware of this historic underpayment, the individuals were fully compensated.”

All of the employers named were approached for comment by the Express & Star.

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

EG Group short-changed its workers the most, according to the Government’s latest investigation of pay.

The company, which was co-founded by the billionaire Issa Brothers, but who have since stepped back from leading the firm, failed to pay £824,384 to 3,317 workers.

This meant individual employees were underpaid about £250 on average.

The company has significantly reduced the size of its UK operations over the past year, selling its UK petrol forecourts business and Cooplands bakeries. It still runs Starbucks franchise stores across the UK.

Another in the top 10 was Centrica, which owns British Gas, having failed to pay £167,815 to 356 workers – amounting to about £460 on average.

High street retailers Go Outdoors and Holland & Barrett were also identified by the DBT in its latest naming round.

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

Holland & Barrett, based in Birmingham, was ninth, having failed to pay £153,079 to 2,551 employees.

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 spokesman for EG Group said: “These historic payroll issues that took place between 2015 and 2019 have been fully rectified. All affected employees were subsequently reimbursed in full in agreement with HMRC.

“Once these issues were identified, we implemented robust remedies to ensure future compliance in recognition of our employees’ vital contribution to our business.

“We are committed to the equitable treatment of our employees in full compliance with UK law.”

A spokesman for Centrica said: “This issue relates to a small number of historic technical errors which was put right as soon as it was identified.

“The total underpayment related primarily to salary sacrifice arrangements and training bonds, rather than take home pay, and was around £160,000 – our UK annual wage bill is currently around £1.2 billion.”

Centrica added that it was a “vocal advocate of the real living wage” and that it was “proud to have the largest unionised workforce in the UK”.

A spokeswoman for Holland & Barrett said: “Holland & Barrett has been named by the Government under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, following a historic issue dating back to 2015–2021 which was fully resolved in 2022.

“This was not a case of deliberate underpayment. The issue stemmed from legacy practices such as requiring team members to wear specific shoes, unpaid training completed at home, and time spent preparing for shifts at our Burton distribution site.

“All arrears – totalling around £150,000 across the six-year period – were repaid in full once identified, and we acted swiftly to upgrade processes and systems.

“While we respect the transparency of the scheme, we are disappointed that naming has occurred over three years after the matter was settled.”

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.”