Stafforce Personnel Ltd neglected to pay workers

Stafforce Personnel Ltd neglected to pay £3,044.79 to 63 workers, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS) said.

But the Percy Street-based firm, which was fined £966, said it was committed to high standards and had swiftly repaid the staff affected when the error    described by the company as “a source of regret”   came to light.

Between them, 70 different employers owed workers a total of over £157,000 in arrears and had been charged financial penalties totalling over £70,000, a DBIS spokesman said.

A Stafforce spokeswoman said: “We are dedicated to upholding the highest possible standards in the recruitment industry and stamping out the exploitation of low paid and temporary workers.

“In nearly 40 years of trading, we have passed every compliance audit we have undertaken and hold an array of accreditations and memberships with organisations dedicated to improving ethical practise in recruitment and reducing the exploitation of workers.

“Unfortunately, an administration error in the early part of 2014 led to 63 temporary workers not receiving the National Minimum Wage for their attendance at an assessment day.

“However, after the matter was brought to our attention and subsequently completing an internal investigation we immediately paid the affected individuals in full.

“This is the first and only time Stafforce Recruitment has been in any way linked to non-compliance and it remains a source of regret.

“We have since provided additional training to our teams to ensure it never happens again.”

The current National Minimum Wage is £6.50 per hour for those over 21, £5.13 for those aged 18 to 20 and £3.79 for 16 and 17-year-olds.