THREE Hampshire businesses have been named by the Government for breaking the minimum wage law.
The names of 191 companies that failed to pay £2.1 million to over 34,000 workers across the UK have been published.
Named employers have been made to pay back what they owed, and were fined an additional £3.2 million following investigations by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs dating back to 2011.
Of those, three businesses are located in Hampshire, and failed to pay a total of 96 workers £2,202.39.
Mr Amin Lakhani and Mr Azim Lakhani, trading as Saffronland Homes in Chandler’s Ford, failed to pay £591.05 to 33 workers.
Homebeech, which is run by Chandler’s Ford company Saffronland Homes, failed to pay £785.71 to 59 workers.
A spokesperson from Saffronland Homes and Homebeech said that directors are “very disappointed for the company to appear on the list”.
Saffronland added: “This was a technical oversight resulting in a minimal under payment below national minimum wages for some personnel.”
Homebeech said: “The total underpayment from 2012 to 2018 was £785.71, equivalent to £2.22 per person over the period.”
Another business named by the Government was a hairdresser in Fareham.
Kate Preston Salons Limited failed to pay £825.63 to four workers.
A Kate Preston Salon spokesperson said that KP Salons purchased a hair salon business (Affinity Hair) in Gosport in April 2018.
The spokesperson added: “Part of that arrangement included taking on existing staff under TUPE. Affinity was later investigated by HMRC for a breach of the NMW guidelines.
“This involved Kate Preston Salons Limited as some of the staff effected were now employed by the company.”
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