A charity is among 16 firms forced to pay workers back pay

A leading Scottish care charity has been exposed for not paying the minimum wage.

Crossroads Caring Scotland, which describes itself as “one of the country's leading providers of support for carers and their families” was one of 16 in Scotland named and shamed by the UK government for failing to pay the national minimum wage last year.

The 35-year-old charity which helps people live independently at home, was found to have underpaid 40 workers a total of £17,685.38 at its Alloa service.

A spokeswoman for Crossroads Caring Scotland said: "The incident referred to occurred more than 16 months ago and was the results of an oversight relating to travel time.

"Forty of our more than 650 staff were affected. As soon as the breach was identified, we worked closely with HMRC to ensure that our workers received the full back pay that they were entitled to and also to ensure our compliance with this complex legislation in the future.

There are simply no excuses for employers who fail to play by the rules - Lord Dunlop

"As a result, we have put in place processes to ensure that such a breach cannot occur again. All of our support workers are now paid the Scottish living wage of £8.25, which will increase to £8.45 in April."

Excuses given to HMRC for failing to pay the national minimum wage included using tips to top up salaries, docking workers' wages to pay for their Christmas party and making staff pay for their own uniforms out of their own wages.

UK government minister for Scotland Lord Dunlop said: "There are simply no excuses for employers who fail to play by the rules and pay employees what they are entitled to.

"We are committed to building an economy that works for everyone, and will ensure that everybody receives the national living wage."