By bizn_fun 
Centrica, which owns British Gas, was eighth on DBT’s list having failed to pay £167,815 to 356 workers.
The energy giant recently bought one of the biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the UK for £1.7bn, extending the firm’s control of the country’s energy supplies.
A Centrica spokesperson said the company supported fair pay and pointed to technical faults in its payroll system between 2015 and 2019.
“This issue relates to a small number of historic technical errors which was put right as soon as it was identified.
“The total underpayment related primarily to salary sacrifice arrangements and training bonds, rather than take home pay, and was around £160,000 – our UK annual wage bill is currently around £1.2bn.”
High street retailer Holland & Barrett is next on the list after it failed to pay more than £153,000 to 2,551 workers.
In a statement, the company said past issues with minimum wage payments, between 2015 and 2021, had since been fixed in 2022.
“This was not a case of deliberate underpayment,” said a spokesperson.
“The issue stemmed from legacy practices such as requiring team members to wear specific shoes, unpaid training completed at home, and time spent preparing for shifts at our Burton distribution site.”
Holland & Barrett said it remained “committed to fair pay” and that it was paying store staff about 5% above the National Living Wage and follows all rules.
“While we respect the transparency of the scheme, we are disappointed that naming has occurred over three years after the matter was settled.”
The minimum wage for over 21s, known officially as the National Living Wage, is currently £12.21 an hour. Younger employees – aged between 16 and 20 – are entitled to receive the National Minimum Wage, which is set at £10 and hour.