Dog training firm fails to pay minimum wage

Dog training firm Absolutedogs Ltd in Okehampton, Devon, has been named by the government for failing to pay the minimum wage.

The company failed to pay £644.49 to one worker, the government revealed.

Overall more than 500 employers that were found to have failed to pay their workers nearly £16m in a breach of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) law, leaving more than 172,000 workers out of pocket.

The announcement comes as the National Living Wage is set to increase by 9.8% to £11.44 an hour on 1 April, as revealed in November’s Autumn statement.

Kevin Hollinrake, Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, said: “Employees deserve to get paid properly for the hard work they put in.

“While the majority of businesses already do the right thing and pay their staff what they are owed, today’s announcement sends a message to the minority who aren’t – that there are repercussions to undercutting hard work from their staff.”

Patricia Rice, Independent Commissioner at the Low Pay Commission, added: “At a time when the cost-of-living is rising, it is more important than ever that these workers receive the pay to which they are entitled.

“NMW underpayment not only cheats workers of their rightful due, it leaves compliant firms undercut by those who do not abide by the law. By naming the firms responsible for significant underpayment, we raise awareness of the nature and the scale of underpayment and encourage all employers to ensure that they fully comply with the law.”

The Canine Times has approached Absolutedogs for comment, but it was unavailable at the time of writing.