Staff working at Gloucestershire businesses are in line for a share of back pay totalling £1.44million according to the Government.

As it lives up to its promise to tackle employers who do not pay the minimum wage the Government has issued it latest list of firms it wishes to name and shame.

Some big names are in the mix of 239 who have underpaid 22,400 staff by the aforementioned sum, and some of them have operations here in Gloucestershire

It does not make pretty reading for the firms concerned, or for the effectiveness of the Government policy, with these latest findings from HMRC identifying more workers than ever before losing out and generating fines totalling £1.97m.

Conscious of this Business Minister Andrew Griffiths did his best to champion the cause.

"The UK's lowest paid workers have had the fastest wage growth in 20 years thanks to the introduction of the National Living Wage and today's list serves as a reminder to all employers to check they are getting their workers' pay right."

Card Factory, which has two branches in Gloucester, two in Cheltenham and one in Stroud, was named and shamed.

As was Home Bargains, which has outlets in Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud and Cirencester, and Wyevale Garden Centres which has bases in Stonehouse, Brockworth and Cheltentham.

According to the Government Sportswift Limited, trading as Card Factory, Wakefield WF2, failed to pay £430,097.87 to 10,256 workers, with average arrears of £41.94 per worker.

T.J. Morris Limited, trading as Home Bargains, Liverpool L11, failed to pay £272,228.44 to 6,743 workers, with average arrears of £40.37 per worker.

And Wyevale Garden Centres Holdings Limited, trading as Wyevale Garden Centres, Hounslow TW8, failed to pay £14,296.58 to 2 workers, with average arrears of £7,148.29 per worker.

No companies headquartered in Gloucestershire have been named and shamed in the list.

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