英税务署打击支付最低薪资以下水平的雇主

The government will toughen enforcement against employers who do not pay the national minimum wage today when it writes to hundreds of companies warning them they could be targeted for on-the-spot checks by the taxman.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will warn 200 businesses who have advertised placements for unpaid internships that they could be "publicly named and shamed" and may be liable for a £5,000 fine if they are found to be in breach of national minimum wage laws.

The move will coincide with the launch of a national campaign to educate students about their employment rights as they enter the job market.

HMRC said that from the tax year in April, it had issued penalties to 466 employers, a significant rifrom 2009/10 when just 381 employers were issued with an HMRC penalty for not paying the minimum wage, currently at £6.31 for those aged 21 and over.

Business, Innovation and Skills minister for employment, Jo Swinson said there was "increasing concern" around unpaid internships especially in the current economic climate.

"Those occasions when you have people working for months on end for free, really is problematic."

Letters from HMRC would "keep businesses on their toes", she said, and ensure they were "properly assessing the legality of what they are doing".

"We don't want to have a system where people get exploited and companies try to help themselves to free labour ... when receiving these letters I would hope that firms think very carefully about how the law [operates] for the opportunities they're offering."

Swinson, whose department has oversight of HMRC enforcement on minimum wage laws, said that from next year the budget to fund ongoing work on this issue would rise by 10%.

"This is an area where we do need to have greater priority focus which is why we've moved resources from other parts of the department," she said.

Swinson singled out certain sectors such as the fashion industry and the media, where problems were more acute and encouraged people to contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368.

"Any industry which is incredibly difficult to get into and perceived as very glamorous is one where the basic laws of supply and demand mean that there will be people who are willing to work for free and that's something some companies can ultimately be very tempted by."

The HMRC letters will say: "If you have got things wrong, but you put them right now, we will not charge you a penalty. If you wait, and we select you for a check and discover the problem, we may charge you a penalty of up to £5,000 and you may be publicly named and shamed by the Department of Business Innovation & Skills as an employer who isn't paying [national minimum wage]."

Gus Baker from the campaign group Intern Aware said: "It's fantastic that after such a long time the government is moving forwards and starting to tackle the issue of unlawful exploitative unpaid internships. However we are yet to see the impact of this on the ground. Too many employers feel they can get away with asking young people to work for nothing."

政府表示将加强执法打击不支付国家最低工资的雇主，并且已经写信警告数百家公司他们可能成为税务员上门检查的对象。

英国税务及海关总署（HMRC）将向200家打广告招收无薪实习的企业发出警告。如果他们被发现违反国家最低工资法，他们可能会“被公开点名批评”并处以5000英镑的罚款。

此次行动还将配合推出全国性的教学活动，以教育学生他们进入就业市场后的就业权利。

英国税务海关总署表示，从本纳税年度的4月份起，已经向466名雇主开出罚单。而在2009到2010纳税年度开出381张因没有支付最低工资的罚单。目前，21岁及以上的最低工资是每小时6.31英镑。

负责就业的商业创新技术大臣乔·斯温生表示，人们“越来越关注”无薪实习的问题，尤其是在目前的经济环境。

她说：“那些有人免费工作几个月的地方确实是有问题的。”

英国税务及海关总署在信件中表示会“让企业保持警觉”并且确保他们“正确评估他们行为的合法性”。

“我们不希望存在一个有人被剥削，有企业希望得到免费劳动力的系统……当我希望企业受到信件后会认真考虑法律是如何看待他们提供的就业机会的。”

斯温生所在部门已经监督英国税务及海关总署执行最低工资法。她表示从明年起投入在该问题上的预算将增加10%。

她说：“这是需要我们加大力度有限监管的领域，这就是为什么我们在部门内调集资源的原因。”

斯温生挑出某些行业如时尚产业和媒体，这些地方的问题比较严重。她还呼吁民众拨打薪酬和工作权利热线0800-917-2368。

“有些行业因为门槛高且看起来待遇不错，基本的供求规律会导致有人愿意免费工作。而这也最终让公司渴望找到无薪实习生。”

英国税务及海关总署的信件中说道，“如果你做错了，但是你现在就报告给我们，我们不会对你罚款。但是如果你保持沉默，当我们检查你时发现问题，我们会处以5000英镑罚款而且你可能会被商业创新技能部公开点名批评为不给（最低）工资的雇主。”

来自“了解实习”活动组织的格斯·贝克说：“在经历长时间的忽视后，政府终于有所行动并且开始处理非法剥削无薪实习生的问题。这太好了。但是，我们还没有看到这些措施产生的实际效果。太多的雇主认为他们可以侥幸逃过此劫并要求年轻人免费为其工作。”