A Redbridge cleaning company has been named and shamed for failing to pay minimum wage.

KMM Enterprises Limited, trading as The Cleaning Company, was one of 139 companies nationally, large and small, to be named by the Government for not paying their workers enough.

Business minister Paul Scully said the list should be a ‘wake-up call’ to rogue bosses, as the department relaunched its ‘name and shame’ scheme after a two-year pause.

KKM Enterprises Limited, which was liquidated in August 2019, failed to pay £2,876.68 to four workers.

Between 2016 and 2018, 139 UK companies failed to pay £6.7 million to over 95,000 workers.

Business minister Paul Scully said: “Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it is the law. It is never acceptable for any employer to short-change their workers, but it is especially disappointing to see huge household names who absolutely should know better on this list.

“This should serve as a wake-up call to named employers and a reminder to everyone of the importance of paying workers what they are legally entitled to.

“Make no mistake, those who fail to follow minimum wage rules will be caught out and made to pay up.”

Bryan Sanderson, chair of the Low Pay Commission, added: “There can be no excuses for non-compliance with the minimum wage rates. The annual changes are well publicised 6 months in advance following a well understood process.

“Those affected are among the most needy and vulnerable in our country - the companies concerned should be deeply ashamed of their performance.”

Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates. They also face hefty financial penalties of up to 200 per cent of arrears - capped at £10,000 per worker - which are paid to the government.

From April 1 the national living wage will increase 2.2 per cent to £8.91 from and will become available to people aged 23 and above, down from the current age of 25.

For those aged 21 to 22 the rate will be £8.36 (up 2 per cent), for ages 18 to 20 the rate will be £6.56 (up 1.7 per cent) and for ages 16 to 17 the rate will be £4.62 (up 1.5 per cent)