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Nine pharmacies have been named in the latest Government list of businesses that have failed to pay staff the minimum wage.

The list names 658 businesses that collectively underpaid around £4m to over 27,000 employees and have been told to return the owed wages, with penalties amounting to £7m issued to the companies responsible.

The nine pharmacies named in the report underpaid staff by a total of £10,760, with 52 employees affected.

The pharmacy that appears highest in the list is Westcliffe Pharmacy in Shipley, which failed to pay £2,424.45 to two employees in 2024.

Lister Pharmacy in Bradford owed the highest amount to a single employee, having failed to pay £1,971.59 to one staff member in 2023.

Others were cited as owing smaller amounts, including Oakfield Pharma Limited in St Helens, which failed to pay £834.56 to 34 staff members between 2022 and 2024.

Employment lawyer Catrin Mills commented: “This latest round of enforcement highlights that National Minimum Wage (NMW) compliance remains a significant risk for employers, even where underpayments arise from genuine administrative or payroll errors rather than any deliberate attempt to underpay staff.

“The key message is that compliance is not simply about setting hourly pay rates above the statutory minimum.

“Employers should regularly audit payroll practices, deductions, salary sacrifice arrangements, allowances, training time and working time records to ensure that workers' pay does not inadvertently fall below National Minimum Wage thresholds, as even technical breaches can result in financial penalties, reputational damage and public naming by enforcement authorities.”

Since 2011, 5,200 employers have been fined over £100m in NMW penalties after failing to pay more than £66m to 650,000 workers.

In April, the Government established the Fair Work Agency (FWA) to tackle breaches of holiday and sick pay rules as well as NMW payment shortfall.

FWA advisory board chair Matthew Taylor said: “This naming round is an important reminder that paying the minimum wage is not optional — it is the law.

“Most employers want to do the right thing, and we will support them to comply, but those who fall short should expect robust enforcement to protect workers and maintain a fair playing field for responsible businesses. 

“We are urging all employers to check their payroll, review their processes and correct any mistakes now, so every worker receives the pay they are entitled to.”

As of April, the minimum wage stands at £12.71 an hour for over-21s and £10.85 an hour for people aged between 18 and 20.

Related: Autumn Budget: 4% minimum wage hike ‘could lead to pharmacy layoffs’