The John Lewis Partnership’s pro-employee credentials took a knock as the retailer was included on a government list of companies guilty of paying less than the minimum wage.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published a list of 191 companies that collectively underpaid more than 34,000 workers by £2.1mln in aggregate between 2011 and 2018. As well as making good the underpayment, the firms were fined a combined total of £3.2mln.
The Waitrose owner was the highest-profile employer on the ministry’s naughty list. A spokesperson for the employee-owned partnership explained that the issue arose because the partnership smooths pay so that partners with variable pay get the same amount each month, helping them to budget.
“Our average minimum hourly pay has never been below the national minimum wage and is currently 15% above it,” the spokesperson said.