This would be hilarious if it wasn’t so shocking. These are real excuses made by UK companies in order to withhold the minimum wage from employees.

How much do the bosses take home?

This is another argument in favour of Jeremy Corbyn’s maximum wage ratio, I think.

Sadly, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills did not see fit to tell us which companies provided these excuses.

The list below has been published by the Government to coincide with the launch of a new £1.7 million campaign, which aims to encourage employers to check workers are being paid at least the statutory minimum.

Some of the worst excuses for dodging the minimum wage include:

• The employee wasn’t a good worker so I didn’t think they deserved to be paid the National Minimum Wage.
• It’s part of UK culture not to pay young workers for the first 3 months as they have to prove their ‘worth’ first.
• I thought it was ok to pay foreign workers below the National Minimum Wage as they aren’t British and therefore don’t have the right to be paid it.
• She doesn’t deserve the National Minimum Wage because she only makes the teas and sweeps the floors.
• I’ve got an agreement with my workers that I won’t pay them the National Minimum Wage; they understand and they even signed a contract to this effect.
• My accountant and I speak a different language – he doesn’t understand me and that’s why he doesn’t pay my workers the correct wages.
• My workers like to think of themselves as being self-employed and the National Minimum Wage doesn’t apply to people who work for themselves.
• My workers are often just on standby when there are no customers in the shop; I only pay them for when they’re actually serving someone.
• My employee is still learning so they aren’t entitled to the National Minimum Wage.
• The National Minimum Wage doesn’t apply to my business.

Source: Revealed: most bizarre excuses for underpaying staff the National Minimum Wage

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