Naming of Walsall FC Community Programme in wage row defended by MP

Jo Swinson said the government had considered a request from the charity not to name it on a list of employers it criticised but it 'did not meet' its criteria for leaving it off.

Walsall FC Community Programme was named along with Birmingham University's Barber Institute of Fine Arts by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Both said their inclusion came after inadvertently breaking the rules and that as soon as they had been notified of their errors they made amends.

Walsall South MP Valerie Vaz raised concerns with Ms Swinson over the naming and shaming.

She said: "I feel this policy is unfair considering that the organisations had settled the matter prior to being named and the threshold seems to be very high."

The Labour MP was also concerned that the charity was named despite the error having been made some years ago, before the Government updated its policy on naming those who failed to pay the statutory minimum.

The university was put on the list of shame because it paid a group of interns who had originally been taken on to do unpaid work.

Because the money it eventually chose to pay them was not the minimum wage, the institute it fell foul of the law. The football charity said its appearance on the list was down to 'human error' that as soon as it was notified that some staff had not had their full pay, was immediately rectified.

The Barber Institute neglected to pay £25,553.40 to 16 workers and was fined £5,000. Walsall FC Community Programme was second worst, with £9,353.63 not paid to six workers and was fined £4,624.98.

Ms Swinson said: "We revised the naming scheme last year and the new scheme applies to all cases where the HM Revenue and Customs investigation commenced on or after the 1 October 2013, irrespective of when the underpayments were made."