Employers have come up with various excuses for not paying the minimum wage and HMRC has published a top 10 of the worst reasons that employers have given to it's enforcement teams.

Here they are...

1. He doesn't deserve it - he's a total waste of space;
2. But she only wanted £3 an hour;
3. I didn't think the workers were worth national minimum wage;
4. I didn't think it applied to small employers;
5. He's disabled;
6. They can't cope on their own and it's more than they would get in their own country;
7. She's on benefits - if you add those to her pay, it totals the national minimum wage;
8. He's over 65, so the national minimum wage doesn't apply;
9. The workers can't speak English;
10. I only took him on as a favour.

However Paymaster General, Dawn Primarilo said...

"By far the majority of employers are honest and scrupulous, so instances of non-payment are very much in the minority.

"But this list shows that there are still some rogue employers out there willing to flout the law, which is why our enforcement teams are hard at work across the UK to ensure that everyone is getting paid at least the National Minimum Wage.

"We are publishing this list of excuses today to remind employers and employees of their rights and responsibilities in relation to the National Minimum Wage."

The current minimum wage is £5.05 an hour. On 1 October, the hourly rate for over-22s will rise to £5.35, with pay for 18 to 21 year olds increasing to £4.45 from £4.25 while 16 to 17-year-olds will get a 30p increase to £3.30 an hour.

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