• £1.11m identified for 9,200 workers underpaid minimum wage rates across the UK
• 179 employers named UK wide and fined £1.3m after underpayment
• Naming round comes before minimum wage rates rising on 1 April

The UK Government has today (9 March) named and shamed 182 UK employers – including 10 in Wales – for underpaying more than 9,000 minimum wage workers by £1.11 million.

In Wales 10 employers were named for underpaying 159 workers a total of £76,659. They were fined a total of £87,396.

As well as recovering backpay for 9.200 workers, the Government also fined the employers a total of £1.3 million in penalties for breaking national minimum wage laws. The most prolific offending sectors in this round were retailers, hospitality businesses and hairdressers.

It comes ahead of the next rate rise on 1 April, when the National Living Wage will go up from £7.50 to £7.83 per hour. Apprentices under the age of 19 and those in the first year of their apprenticeship will benefit from a record 5.7% rise.

Later this month the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will launch a campaign to raise awareness of the new rates and encourage workers to speak to their employer if they think they are being underpaid.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

Every worker in the UK is entitled to at least the national minimum or living wage and the UK Government will ensure they get it.

That is why we have named and shamed these employers who failed to pay the legal minimum, sending the clear message to employers that minimum wage abuses will not go unpunished.

Business Minister Andrew Griffiths said:

The world of work is changing and we have set out our plans to give millions of workers enhanced rights to ensure everyone is paid and treated fairly in the workplace.

There are no excuses for short-changing workers. This is an absolute red line for this Government and employers who cross it will get caught – not only are they forced to pay back every penny but they are also fined up to 200% of wages owed.

Today’s naming round serves as a sharp reminder to employers to get their house in order ahead of minimum wage rate rises on 1 April.

Bryan Sanderson, Chairman of the Low Pay Commission, said:

As the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates rise on 1 April, it is vital that workers understand their rights, and employers their obligations.

The Low Pay Commission is pleased to see the Government maintaining the momentum of its minimum wage enforcement.

The recent announcement that all workers will have a right to payslips stating the hours they have worked – an idea originally proposed by the LPC – is a positive step.

This 14th naming round comes after the government published its Good Work plan last month, which announced the right to a payslip for all workers. The new law is likely to benefit around 300,000 UK workers who do not currently get a payslip.

For those paid by the hour, payslips will also have to include how many hours the worker is paid for, making pay easier to understand and challenge if it is wrong. The move is part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy the government’s long-term plan to build a Britain fit for the future by helping businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK.

Since 2013 the scheme has identified more than £9 million in back pay for around 67,000 workers, with more than 1,700 employers fined a total of £6.3 million. The Government has also committed £25.3m for minimum wage enforcement in 2017/18.

Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to 200% of arrears, capped at £20,000 per worker.

For more information about your pay, or if you think you might be being underpaid, get advice and guidance at www.gov.uk/checkyourpay. Workers can also seek advice from workplace experts Acas.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The companies from Wales are:-

Under this scheme the government will name all employers who have been issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NoU) unless employers meet one of the exceptional criteria or have arrears of £100 or less. All 179 cases named today (9 March 2018) failed to pay the correct national minimum or living wage rates and owed arrears of more than £100.

Employers have 28 days to appeal against the NoU (this notice sets out the owed wages to be paid by the employer together with the penalty for not complying with minimum wage law). If the employer does not appeal or unsuccessfully appeals against this NoU, BEIS will consider them for naming. The employer then has 14 days to make representations to BEIS outlining whether they meet any of the exceptional criteria:

• Naming by BEIS carries a risk of personal harm to an individual or their family;
• There are national security risks associated with naming in this instance;
• Other factors which suggest that it would not be in the public interest to name the employer.

National Living and Minimum Wage rates:-

Low paying sectors across the UK:-

• Hospitality: 43 employers named for underpaying 5,726 workers a total of £460,459
• Hairdressing: 19 employers named for underpaying 152 workers a total of £43,938
• Retail: 18 employers named for underpaying 85 workers a total of £27,332

• Nearly £75,000 identified for 206 workers underpaid minimum wage rates.
• 15 Scottish employers named and fined nearly £70,000 after underpayment
• Naming round comes before minimum wage rates rising on 1 April

The UK Government has today (9 March) named and shamed 15 Scottish employers for underpaying more than 200 minimum wage workers by nearly £75,000.

Across the UK 179 employers have been named for underpaying 9,200 minimum wage workers by £1.1 million.

The UK Government also fined the employers a total of £1.3 million in penalties for breaking national minimum wage laws. Fines for Scottish employers totalled £70,000.

As well as recovering backpay for 9,200 workers, the UK Government also fined the employers a total of £1.3 million in penalties for breaking national minimum wage laws. The most prolific offending sectors in this round were retailers, hospitality businesses and hairdressers.

It comes ahead of the next rate rise on 1 April, when the National Living Wage will go up from £7.50 to £7.83 per hour. Apprentices under the age of 19 and those in the first year of their apprenticeship will benefit from a record 5.7% rise.

Later this month the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will launch a campaign to raise awareness of the new rates and encourage workers to speak to their employer if they think they are being underpaid.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Lord Duncan said:

It is simply unacceptable for bosses to rip off their staff by not paying at least minimum wage rates. These 15 Scottish employers are breaking the law.

These fines show just how seriously the UK Government takes this matter. Bosses who think that they can get away with short changing their hard working staff be warned – the UK Government will name and shame you and hit you in the pocket.

Business Minister Andrew Griffiths said:

The world of work is changing and we have set out our plans to give millions of workers enhanced rights to ensure everyone is paid and treated fairly in the workplace.

There are no excuses for short-changing workers. This is an absolute red line for this Government and employers who cross it will get caught – not only are they forced to pay back every penny but they are also fined up to 200% of wages owed.

Today’s naming round serves as a sharp reminder to employers to get their house in order ahead of minimum wage rate rises on 1 April.

Bryan Sanderson, Chairman of the Low Pay Commission, said:

As the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates rise on 1 April, it is vital that workers understand their rights, and employers their obligations.

The Low Pay Commission is pleased to see the UK Government maintaining the momentum of its minimum wage enforcement.

The recent announcement that all workers will have a right to payslips stating the hours they have worked – an idea originally proposed by the LPC – is a positive step.

This 14th naming round comes after the government published its Good Work plan last month, which announced the right to a payslip for all workers. The new law is likely to benefit around 300,000 UK workers who do not currently get a payslip.

For those paid by the hour, payslips will also have to include how many hours the worker is paid for, making pay easier to understand and challenge if it is wrong. The move is part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy the government’s long-term plan to build a Britain fit for the future by helping businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK.

Since 2013 the scheme has identified more than £9 million in back pay for around 67,000 workers, with more than 1,700 employers fined a total of £6.3 million. The UK Government has also committed £25.3m for minimum wage enforcement in 2017/18.

Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to 200% of arrears, capped at £20,000 per worker.

For more information about your pay, or if you think you might be being underpaid, get advice and guidance at www.gov.uk/checkyourpay. Workers can also seek advice from workplace experts Acas.

The employers named today are:

1. Heather Park Community Services Limited, North Lanarkshire ML2, failed to pay £26,018.63 to 73 workers.
2. 1st Pizza Direct Limited, Highland IV3, failed to pay £25,668.15 to 87 workers.
3. Mr Muhammad Adnan Safdar and Mrs Khadija Javaid, trading as Citi Dental Surgery, Glasgow City G51, failed to pay £8,733.33 to 2 workers.
4. Cost Effective Catering Limited, City of Edinburgh EH4, failed to pay £4,559.11 to 23 workers.
5. Mr Wayne Gray and Mrs Margaret Gray, trading as Jackson Gray, Dundee City DD3, failed to pay £2,514 to 4 workers.
6. Universal United Commerce Limited, City of Edinburgh EH6, failed to pay £2,009.88 to 2 workers.
7. James Ritchie Clocks (established 1809) Ltd, City of Edinburgh EH3, failed to pay £1,064.66 to 2 workers.
8. Alison Margaret Smith, trading as A.M.S Hair & Beauty, City of Edinburgh EH12, failed to pay £935.21 to 1 worker.
9. Mrs Lisa Chakir, trading as Chairs Hairdresser, West Lothian EH49, failed to pay £774.86 to 1 worker.
10. Miss Zoe MacDonald, trading as Unique Hair & Beauty, Na h-Eileanan Siar HS1, failed to pay £686 to 1 worker.
11. Clear-View Fife Limited, trading as Clear-View Cleaning Specialists, Fife KY6, failed to pay £431.63 to 1 worker.
12. Saramago Ltd, trading as Saramago Café Bar, Glasgow City G2, failed to pay £425.63 to 4 workers.
13. Entier Limited, Aberdeenshire AB32, failed to pay £403.07 to 1 worker.
14. Jackson Gray Limited, trading as Jackson Gray, Dundee City DD3, failed to pay £343.38 to 3 workers.
15. P&P Duff (Scotland) Limited, trading as Patrick, Renfrewshire PA1, failed to pay £280.15 to 1 workers.

Thank you Mr President,

And thank you Foreign Minister Alfano for your briefing.

The United Kingdom fully supports the OSCE and its efforts to achieve stability, peace and democracy for the people of Europe, including through dialogue. Like the United Nations, the OSCE is a pillar of the international rules based system and respect for its fundamental principles must be restored.

Nowhere in Europe is this more important than in Ukraine. Let me reaffirm the United Kingdom’s full support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, including in Crimea. These are words by which we open so many of our Council’s resolutions. They are fundamental to all Member States of the United Nations. Yet last month we marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. That act, by a permanent member of this Council, showed complete disregard for our UN Charter and trampled all over international law. In addition to annexing Crimea, Russia has destabilised Eastern Ukraine and continues to fuel the conflict at enormous human and material cost to the Ukrainians people.

As always, it is civilians that suffer most. Since the conflict began, over 10,300 people have lost their lives, almost 25,000 have been injured and 3.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, particularly along the line of contact. And we have seen reports that over 1000 Russian military personnel and mercenaries have lost their lives, so the Russian people are also mourning their children. It is only through a truly sustainable ceasefire and genuine political will, through the implementation of the Minsk Agreement, that this conflict will be brought to an end. We welcome the latest recommitment to the ceasefire by the Trilateral Contact Group, but ceasefires have been broken in the past, and have not resulted in sustained improvements to the security situation.

While the conflict continues, the Special Monitoring Mission, ably directed by Chief Monitor Apakan, must be permitted to carry out its mandate in full and be granted full, safe and unhindered access to all of Ukraine, including those parts of the border with Russia not under Ukraine’s control, and Crimea. The increasingly aggressive behaviour and threats we are seeing towards OSCE monitors are deeply concerning and we remember the sacrifice of paramedic Joseph Stone on 23 April last year.

Mr President,

If, as Russia claims, it truly cares about the people of the Donbas, it should end the fighting that it started, withdraw its military personnel and weapons and cease its support for the separatists. Russia should also show a genuine political will to end the conflict and to abide by the Minsk Agreements that it signed. Until these steps are taken, we will work with our EU partners to ensure that sanctions remain fully in place.

Mr President,

We must retain the Council’s focus of this Council on Ukraine. Next Thursday the UK will co-host an Arria-formula meeting to discuss this blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter. The chaos, violence and ongoing loss of life resulting from Russia’s military operations more than merit this Council’s time. We must be ready to remain seized of this issue.

Foreign Minister Alfano, we welcome and strongly support Italy’s intention to prioritise tackling Modern Slavery, and addressing the challenges associated with migration, including corruption and trafficking. In addition, we support your focus on the implementation of the OSCE Gender Action Plan and on protracted conflicts, which continue to undermine security in the OSCE region. These are areas where the OSCE’s cross-dimensional approach can really add value. We are keen to work with you to ensure that OSCE activities complement, rather than duplicate, the work of UN Agencies and other organisations.

Mr President,

The OSCE’s autonomous institutions and network of Field Operations can and do make a significant contribution to the promotion of security, stability, democracy and the rule of law across the region. However, it is only able to do so when Member States stand up for the principles which guide it. This is the task of all of us on the Security Council. To stand up for those who suffer acts of aggression from their bigger neighbours. To stand up for the UN charter. To stand up for international law.

Thank you Mr President.

Thank you Madame President,

I would like to pay tribute to my Dutch colleagues for their tireless efforts to reach a consensus on this important resolution.

I would also like to thank all our briefers, and the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Ambassador Yamamoto, for his briefing and for his and his team’s continued efforts in challenging circumstances.

Madame President,

I am delighted to share the chamber with so many women on International Women’s Day. I am especially pleased that we are discussing Afghanistan today, as I had the privilege to spend several years in Afghanistan, working to support education for Afghan girls, and a future in Parliament for Afghan women. As Ms Safi and Dr. Sarabi have demonstrated in their briefings, and their own impressive work, women have a vital role to play in securing Afghanistan’s future and we should all stand beside them.

Afghanistan cannot find a lasting peace with only half its population. The UN must maintain a strong role in promoting and protecting the rights of women across Afghanistan, and continue to support the Afghan Government to implement its National Action Plan for women, peace and security. Ensuring accountability and equal access to justice for all are essential to long-term peace and stability. We welcome the adoption of Afghanistan’s revised penal code and the clarity it brings. We encourage the Government of Afghanistan to ensure its full implementation in line with the Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women which we hope will continue to be used to guarantee Afghan women the protection and accountability they deserve.

Madame President,

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is an essential mechanism to support Afghanistan’s recovery from conflict. The continued presence of UNAMA, and the resolve, resourcefulness and skill, with which its staff support the Afghan people, are a strong signal of the international community’s commitment.

The United Kingdom welcomes the Secretary-General’s decision to host a Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan in Geneva on the 28th of November.

Implementing the findings of the strategic review and the Secretary General’s report of August 2017 will allow UNAMA to be as efficient as possible and to adapt as circumstances change. I am pleased to see that this is reflected in the resolution before us today and I hope it will send a strong signal to the Mission’s hardworking personnel that we fully support them.

Madame President,

UNAMA’s mandate to support peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan remains at the core of the mission. This will only be delivered sustainably through a credible, inclusive, Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process, where all Afghan citizens, whatever their background, can resolve grievances through dialogue.

Of course, for peace to be sustainable it must be inclusive. The strong focus on the involvement of women in peace and security in this Mandate renewal is particularly welcome. With inclusiveness in mind, we highly commend the bold offer laid out by President Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah and Afghanistan’s National Unity Government at the recent Kabul Process for Peace and Security meeting. We welcome the credibility, flexibility and openness of this offer, which gives the Taliban the opportunity to be part of a political process towards peace. While the Council was not able to reflect these recent developments in the Mandate renewal, I hope that we will find another opportunity to endorse it and lend our full support to these Afghan-led efforts.

Finally, the UN must play a strong role in supporting free and fair elections. Elections, both this year and next, are an opportunity for the nation to communicate their aspirations to the political parties. These elections are a crucial point at which political trust can be renewed and stability forged. We commend the progress made by Afghanistan’s Independent Electoral Commission towards electoral reform, and we encourage them to redouble their efforts to ensure that voter registration is completed according to an agreed timeline. We hope that UNAMA will support these efforts fully.

Madame President,

In conclusion, we fully support UNAMA and we welcome the renewal of its mandate today. As a Council, we have collectively endorsed the importance of inclusion, including of women, and of upholding and promoting human rights. We call on all parties to engage meaningfully in a political process to bring lasting peace and stability to the people of Afghanistan.

Thank you very much.

Thank you Mr President.

Let me begin by welcoming the presence today of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Okitundu, and thank you also to SRSG Zerrougui for updating us on the intensifying instability, and the dire humanitarian consequences, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The United Kingdom is deeply concerned by the proliferation of violence in the DRC, particularly in North and South Kivu, Tanganyika, Ituri and the Kasai and at significant increases in human rights abuses, with 744 violations in January, 60% of which were perpetrated by state agents.

As is too often the case, and as the civilian population of the DRC know all too well, the result of this instability has been devastating. 4.5 million Congolese have now fled their homes and communities; there are more internally displaced people in the DRC than anywhere else in Africa. 40,000 people have fled from Ituri to Uganda in this year alone, bringing the refugee population up to 670,000. This has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis – over 13.1 million are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. This number has doubled since 2017.

Mr President,

There is clearly a link between the ongoing political uncertainty and the increasing insecurity. The Congolese people cannot express their legitimate concerns with the political situation without risking their lives. On 21 January and 25 February, security forces once again violently repressed demonstrations leaving at least 9 people dead, dozens wounded and hundreds arrested. This must stop.

The holding of credible and constitutional elections by 23 December this year leading to a democratic and peaceful transition of power is essential to ending the political crisis. Without this, there is a significant risk of further violence destabilising not just the DRC, but the wider region also.

We welcome the progress made towards elections so far, including the completion of voter registration, the passing of electoral laws and the announcement of an electoral budget. However, this is no time for complacency. There is much more to do.

It is essential that the election calendar is honoured and that key dates set out in the electoral timetable are met, including the completion of the Voter Register List by 5 April, the Audit for the electoral list by 25 May, convocation of the electoral process in June and registration of Presidential candidates in July.

But, Mr President, holding credible elections is about more than complying with timelines, it is also about creating the conditions than enable free and fair elections to take place. In order to do this, we call on the Government to implement the 31 December Agreement in full, including full implementation of the confidence-building measures set out in this agreement.

The Government must also respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of the DRC, opening political space and allowing peaceful demonstrations and freedom of expression. The UK is extremely concerned at the high numbers of violations of political rights and fundamental freedoms in January. And we were appalled by the disproportionate use of force against churchgoers and peaceful protesters on 31 December 2017, 21 January 2018, and 25 February 2018 and the subsequent loss of life.

We recognise that the onus is not only on the Government to deliver credible elections and in this context we call on the opposition to engage constructively in the process on the basis of the 31 December Agreement, which will demonstrate their credibility and potential to govern.

Mr President,

MONUSCO has a crucial role to play in this crucial year in the DRC in protecting civilians and supporting the implementation of the 31 December Agreement.

We welcome the efforts to improve MONUSCO’s ability to carry out these tasks more efficiently and more effectively. In particular we welcome efforts to enhance the flexibility and mobility of MONUSCO’s forces and to improve their performance. It is important that these reforms are implemented swiftly.

Mr President,

In conclusion, let me be clear: the violence and resulting dire humanitarian situation in the DRC are the result of continual disappointment of the people in the political process and the political leaders responsible for this process. The only way to avert further violence is for free and fair elections to take place in December and for the 31 December Agreement to be fully implemented. Further excuses and delays will only lead to more violence and despair. The Security Council cannot allow this to happen. The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo cannot afford to wait any longer.