MP calls for jail deterrent to tackle miserly bosses

An MP is demanding that employers who fail to pay their workers a minimum wage should be sent to prison.

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland’s Labour member Ashok Kumar said it is time to get much tougher with miserly bosses.

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Firms convicted of underpaying staff have to make good the lost money, but there are no additional fines or punishment unless they continue to ignore the law.

Kumar said: “Company chiefs who get caught cheating on their workers know there are no real sanctions against them. What is needed are really hefty fines and the possibility of directors being jailed.”