Key points:
- The government has named 389 employers that failed to pay the National Minimum Wage.
- They underpaid around 60,000 workers by more than £7.3 million and were fined around £12.6 million.
- Seven firms on the list are classified in the transport and storage sector.
- Big names include ISS, Bupa, Costa, Amey and KPMG.
- Since April, the minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over has been £12.71 an hour.
389 employers, £7.3 million in arrears
The list is part of Naming Round 23 of the government’s National Minimum Wage naming scheme. It was first published in March and updated on 2 November. All the named employers have repaid the arrears to their workers, and they were also fined around £12.6 million in total.
The biggest arrears were found at:
- ISS Mediclean: £1,506,960 owed to 6,580 workers,
- ISS Facility Services: £754,760 owed to 5,378 workers,
- Browns Manufacturing: £708,732 owed to 1,654 workers,
- Busy Bees Nurseries: £485,374 owed to 9,056 workers,
- Bupa Care Services: £441,440 owed to 8,810 workers.
Other well-known names include Hays Travel, Costa, Hovis, Sodexo, KPMG, Travelex, Harvey Nichols, B&M and Rockstar Games.
“A good employer doesn’t build their business on the back of unpaid wages,” said Business Secretary Peter Kyle.
The transport firms on the list
According to the full list, seven employers on the list are classified in the transport and storage sector. All of them are small businesses:
- Contraflow, a traffic management company from Cumbernauld in Scotland: £10,507 owed to 106 workers between 2018 and 2023,
- EV Downton from Gloucester: £6,446 owed to one worker,
- Urban Vehicle Logistics from Birmingham: £4,365 owed to four workers,
- Furniture Delivery Solutions from Birmingham: £2,926 owed to seven workers,
- Dent Logistics from Penrith: £1,401 owed to one worker,
- Carlisle Taxi Hire: £941 owed to four workers,
- Roffes Transport from Lincolnshire: £504 owed to one worker.
The list does not include any large haulier or logistics operator. However, some of the arrears go back several years. At Urban Vehicle Logistics, the underpayment period started in 2018 and ended in 2023.
The largest employer linked to roads is Amey, which maintains roads and other infrastructure. It owed £169,447 to 2,608 workers.
Why it matters for logistics operators
Transport and warehousing rely heavily on hourly paid staff, agency workers and long shifts, which makes mistakes in pay calculations easier. Underpayment can happen even when the hourly rate on the contract is correct, for example when:
- deductions from pay, such as for uniforms or equipment, push pay below the minimum,
- time spent on tasks such as vehicle checks, waiting or training is not paid,
- workers are moved into a higher age band and the new rate is not applied,
- apprentices are paid the apprentice rate for too long.
Under the rules, employers must pay arrears at current rates and can face penalties of up to 200% of the amount owed. Being named on the government list also means public damage to a company’s reputation, which can matter when bidding for contracts. Employers’ legal duties towards staff are growing: since 30 October, UK firms can also be liable for harassment by customers.
“Nobody should finish a week’s work and find they’ve been paid less than they’ve earned,” said Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden.
Current minimum wage rates
Since April 2026, the minimum wage rates have been:
- £12.71 per hour for workers aged 21 and over,
- £10.85 for workers aged 18 to 20,
- £8.00 for workers under 18 and apprentices.
Logistics is one of the UK’s biggest employers, as Trans.INFO showed when looking at the economic impact of the sector.
This was the final naming round before the new Fair Work Agency took over enforcement of workers’ rights in April 2026. For operators, it is a good moment to check payroll systems, especially for warehouse staff, younger employees and agency workers.
