Oxford United did not pay minimum wage to staff

Oxford United has been listed in a government report for breaching the minimum wage law

Oxford United did not pay the minimum wage to its lowest paid staff, the Department for Business and Trade said.

According to a government report, the club failed to pay £10,826.74 to 31 workers.

Oxford United said the underpayments had happened between 2015 and 2018, but had now been resolved.

In a statement the club said it "took steps to ensure this would not recur, and these are constantly reviewed across all areas of the business".

Oxford United was among 202 businesses named by the government as having breached the National Minimum Wage Law.

"The club took on all recommendations, and made all relevant repayments, before the case was closed at the end of 2018," it said.

'Non-negotiable'

The government said it wanted to send a message that no employer is exempt from paying their workers the statutory minimum wage.

"Paying the legal minimum wage is non-negotiable and all businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working staff," said Kevin Hollinrake, Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business.

In total the companies were found to have failed to pay 63,000 workers almost £5m.

Employers underpaid their workers by deducting pay from wages, failing to pay workers correctly for their working time or paying the incorrect apprenticeship rate.

Bryan Sanderson, chair of the Low Pay Commission, said that those who break the minimum wage law "not only do a disservice to their staff but also undermine fair competition between businesses".

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