To the sound of a rumoured investigation by pro bono lawyers into the Marriott Hotels UK with the collection of employee' testimonials of shabby treatment ringing ever louder, the UK Group was named and shamed this morning by the government for failure to pay its employees the legal minimum wage. Employee Benefits online this morning 10.36 a.m. released the following report:


"Asian restaurant chain Wagamama and international hotel group Marriott Hotels (pictured) are among the 179 employers named by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for failure to pay employees the national minimum wage and the national living wage.

"Wagamama, which topped the government’s 14th list of organisations that have underpaid staff the minimum wage, failed to pay £133,212.42 to 2,630 employees. Marriott Hotels, which ranked second on the list, failed to pay £71,722.93 to 279 employees.

"Thursday UK Limited, trading as restaurant organisation TGI Friday’s, was placed third on the list for failing to pay 2,302 employees a total of £59,347.64, while Birmingham City Football Club featured on the list for failing to pay 534 employees £5,653.03

"Other organisations included on this month’s list include womenswear retailer Karen Miller Fashions, which failed to pay £9,847.20 to 28 employees, and Wright Leisure Limited, trading as Xercise4less, ranked fifth on the list for failing to pay 240 employees £54,290.37.

"The government’s naming and shaming scheme, which came in to effect in October 2013, names employers which have underpaid staff by paying them less than the national minimum wage and national living wage rates. These employers are issued with a notice of underpayment, unless employers meet one of the exceptional criteria or have arrears of £100 or less. Organisations that feature on the published list are required to back pay arrears of wages to affected employees, and can face financial penalties of up to 200% of arrears, capped at £20,000 per employee, or prosecution in the most serious cases.

"Employers on today’s (9 March 2018) list have been fined £1.3 million in total, and around 9,200 UK employees are expected to receive back pay amounting to £1.1 million.

I was a union activist for many years and I support fair treatment for workers.

Thank you, Cheryl. You and me both. To some this story won't count as setting the world alight, and the amounts involved while peanuts to an organisation like Marriott will count much for the poor profit-generating employees. But damning is the allowance of the Big Cheese at the top that sets policy and a culture for this to happen. Morg wachers periodically post on this board stories of mean Utah/Mormon employers with shocking staff policies and practices. Shocking too the wealthy Morgies who keep domestic staff on pitiful slave wages and at long hours.

Solidarity and best regards esias