The data itself is taken from 2017 to 2019, so in some cases is over 6 years old, and in most of the cases within the pub sector, are attributed to misunderstandings over uniform issues, and quickly rectified once identified.
To then use that as an excuse to “name and shame” businesses that appear to have made genuine mistakes, and subsequently resolved them, seems churlish and if anything, a little bit spiteful.
Is there anything the Government would like to distract us from at the moment? Let me think.
Ultimately, I would never defend anyone that is failing to pay staff correctly and it’s an issue that the hospitality sector needs to take seriously.
Too often people throw the terms “low skilled” and “low paid” at our sector and we’re often the first in the queue to object to rises to the minimum wage, which doesn’t help. I appreciate we are disproportionately affected by such moves, but it does somewhat help to underline at least one of those accusations.
However, mistakes can happen and if those mistakes are spotted, rectified and resolved, and the companies involved have acted in good faith - being then named and shamed seems like a heavy handed approach and rather pointless.
Some of the companies named are excellent employers and are often held up as the companies we should be celebrating and using to showcase the opportunities for careers in our industry.
This move by the Government feels a little bit like them putting the boot in when the sector’s down on the ground.
The hospitality industry is struggling to cope with the challenges we’re all facing at the moment, and the Government has turned a deaf ear to all pleas for sensible and achievable support.
Instead they decide to use historical and spurious data which will only serve to cause more headaches for people with enough problems to worry about.
Name and shame the real villains of the piece for sure, but this feels like a wrong step from our political leaders.