Please note I am not being paid by the O's for the following post :grins:
It appears Brighton make the O's look like saints on this one LS.
Brighton and Hove Albion and Blackpool have been condemned by the government for not paying their employees the minimum wage.
Today, the government aimed to name and shame just under 200 companies for not paying the minimum wage. This year saw the minimum wage transform into the National Living Wage and now stands at £7.20 an hour for over 25s. Rates steadily get lower the younger the employee is. This list however does not take the new living wage into account as it was only introduced in April.
And two football clubs, Brighton and Blackpool, were named on the 198 strong list alongside a whole host of other big name businesses such as Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa and The Chequers, a spa based in the former Prime Minister’s David Cameron’s constituency of Witney.
The government claim that Brighton owe one worker £2,861 while Blackpool owe £517 to one worker as well.
This list of naming and shaming business which don’t pay the minimum wage, which has been done for the last ten years, has been very successful as it’s seen £3.5m in wages get paid out after the list has been publicly released.
Both clubs responded to the release of the list. Blackpool accepted the findings, saying on their club website: “Blackpool Football Club can confirm that an HMRC compliance check during the 2014/15 season highlighted that one of its 300 employees had been paid below the national minimum wage.”
“Although this was initially disputed, the matter has now been fully addressed and robust procedures are in place to ensure full compliance with the legislation in future.”
Brighton said they were disappointed at being named on the list, saying it was as a result of being over generous with expenses over a work experience placement two years ago and were told by external legal advice that they didn’t break any employment regulations. They went on to say because of the trouble this has caused them, they will no longer be offering work experience.
A club spokesman said: “As a business we feel our reputation as a responsible employer has been very unfairly tarnished. We are one of the few clubs who pays its staff the over and above the national living wage.”
“Unfortunately, in light of this, we are now more risk averse in terms of offering work experience opportunities. This means we are unable to give as many valuable on-the-job work experience opportunities to those looking to further their career or break into this highly competitive industry.”
“It is a shame because a number of people who’ve spent time with us, on work experience placements, have gone on to win successful job roles across the football and sports industry, at the highest level – here in the Premier League and EFL and others abroad.”
