Northern Ireland

Companies challenged for failing to pay workers minimum wage

The millionare Hutchinson family has been asked to explain why Tayto `has had to be fined to pay their workers the legal minimum'
The millionare Hutchinson family has been asked to explain why Tayto `has had to be fined to pay their workers the legal minimum' The millionare Hutchinson family has been asked to explain why Tayto `has had to be fined to pay their workers the legal minimum'

THE millionaire owners of Tayto have been asked to explain why the Co Armagh company "has had to be fined to pay their workers the legal minimum".

The Hutchinson family own a large stake in the Manderley Group which produces the popular snacks.

Along with Wilson's Country and Moy Park, it was among eight Northern Ireland companies fined for not paying workers the minimum wage.

Moy Park failed to pay £33,500 to 338 workers, Wilson's Country failed to pay £24,560.53 to 63 workers, and Tayto failed to pay £2,200 to 50 workers, according to a list published by the British government.

Unite union's Sean McKeever said "unfortunately Northern Ireland appears to be disproportionately represented - primarily as a result of the inclusion of both Moy Park and Tayto, two of our most prominent agri-food employers".

"(Moy Park) is a company which only recently reported £18 million in pre-tax profits - up seven per cent on the previous year - there can be no excuse," he said.

"In regard to Tayto, this is another successful company reporting gross profits of £44 million in 2016 and net profits of £3.3 million again rising steadily.

"While 50 of their workers were denied the bare legal minimum, total pay to corporate directors for the year was a whopping £2.2 million - with one director pocketing just short of £900k in the year alone.

"The Hutchinson family... must now publicly account for their failure to address poverty pay."

Tayto said it has been "cooperating fully with HMRC auditors to identify what amounts of money were owed and to whom", with the money paid within 15 days of being told where the shortfall in wages were.

Moy Park said it was an "isolated example of underpayment" for which it immediately "apologised to those affected and ensured reimbursement. As a responsible employer we have taken steps to ensure this issue cannot reoccur".

Angus Wilson of Wilsons Country insisted its breach was "innocent and unintended" and related to "a technicality around uniform changing procedures for some members of staff".

The company has "undertaken extensive research going back over six years and had since made full restitution to the 66 staff concerned".

Sinn Féin's Declan Kearney said there was "no excuse for an employer to deny workers the bare minimum wage to which they are fully entitled".

"The fact that we have major employers in north found to not be paying the minimum wage in 2018 is outrageous," he said.