Britain just named and shamed French Connection and 47 other companies for failing to pay the minimum wage

Britain's government just named and shamed 48 companies for not paying their staff the National Minimum Wage, which is £6.50 per hour for workers age 21 or older.

The list, published on the UK government's website, included employers across fashion, publishing, hospitality, health and fitness, automotive, care, and retail.

The National Minimum Wage is:

• Adult rate (21 years and over): £6.50 per hour
• 18 to 20-year olds: £5.13 per hour
• 16 to 17-year olds: £3.79 per hour
• Apprentice rate: £2.73 per hour

While some companies failed to pay just a handful of staff the minimum wage, the UK government highlighted a number of well-known brands that did not cough up the right amount of cash for hundreds or even thousands of its staff.

Notably, high street fashion retailer French Connection UK in London neglected to pay £16,436 to 367 workers.

Meanwhile, G1 Venues, which operates 40 restaurants, bars, clubs, cinemas and hotels throughout Scotland, neglected to pay £45,124 to 2,895 workers.

In total, the 48 named employers owe workers over £162,000 in arrears. This brings the total number of money owed from employers to staff, due to the lack of minimum wage payments, to £635,000 since 2010.

The government said in a statement that total penalties for employers that have not paid the minimum wage is at £248,000.

"There's no excuse for companies that don't pay staff the wages they're entitled to - whether by wilfully breaking the law, or making irresponsible mistakes," said Britain's Business Minister Jo Swinson in a statement.

"The government is protecting workers by cracking down on employers who ignore minimum wage rules. In addition to naming and shaming, we've increased the penalty fines and boosted the resources available to investigate non-compliance."