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A long awaited crackdown on minimum wage rogue bosses has been launched.The Government is planning a fresh crackdown on bosses who fail to pay the national minimum wage.
The Government said tough new penalties will come into force next April, including fines for employers who genuinely forget to increase wages when a worker turns 22.
The Employment Bill, currently before Parliament, will introduce an automatic fine of up to £5,000 for businesses found underpaying their workers. The most serious cases will be tried in a Crown Court, which will have the power to impose unlimited penalties.
In the last year, enforcement officers investigated more than 4,100 employers and secured almost £3.9 million in arrears for more than 19,000 workers. Since the minimum wage was introduced in April 1999, over £30 million unpaid wages has been returned to more than 100,000 workers.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: "With rogue employers constantly seeking new ways to evade paying the minimum wage, the Government must be vigilant in enforcing it. The rise to £5.73 is a welcome cushion, however, a more realistic figure would be £6.75 an hour."