Compliance Radar

Who was sanctioned, and for what?

Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa: 2,207 cases from 44 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.

17cases from 7 jurisdictions
€8.48mTotal of monetary amounts (15 cases with an amount)
€200,000Median per case with an amount

Click a bar to drill down one level.

When?

per year, by date of decision
Trend
PeriodCasesTotal
20231€200,000
20242€875,189
20253€190,175
202611€7.22m

17 cases

3 Sep 2026 B&Q LimitedB&Q: publicly named for minimum wage underpayment of 4,530 workers United KingdomMinimum wage and undeclared work €530,980

In the 24th naming round of the National Minimum Wage scheme, B&Q was listed first: the company had underpaid 4,530 workers by a total of £456,934.72 (period according to the list: 15 May 2020 to 31 March 2025). Named employers had to pay the arrears and additionally received penalties whose amount per employer is not published (around £7m for the whole round). The amount is the arrears ordered to be repaid, not a fine.

What organisations can take from it

Minimum wage errors in payroll quickly affect thousands of workers and are made public.

Relevance to training and awareness

Minimum-wage-compliant payroll

Authority / court
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade / Fair Work Agency (Ermittlung: HM Revenue and Customs)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Action
Order
Status of proceedings
final
Sector
Retail and e-commerce
Published
3 Sep 2026

Original amount 456,934.72 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 3 Sep 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

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3 Sep 2026 SSM Investments LimitedTakeaway operator SSM Investments: 90,000 NZD penalty for worker exploitation New ZealandMinimum wage and undeclared work €45,501

The restaurant and takeaway business with branches in Auckland and Cromwell did not pay five employees the minimum wage, denied holiday, public holiday and sick pay, made unlawful deductions from wages and kept no accurate wage, time and leave records. After the Employment Relations Authority (ERA, New Zealand's employment tribunal) had already ordered arrears of 147,001 NZD, it imposed a penalty of 90,000 NZD against the company following an investigation by the Labour Inspectorate (labour standards enforcement unit of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment). Measures against individuals are not set out here.

What organisations can take from it

Minimum wage, holiday pay and proper time records are mandatory.

Relevance to training and awareness

Minimum wage, holiday pay and permissible wage deductions

Authority / court
Employment Relations Authority (Verfahren des Labour Inspectorate, MBIE)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Food and agriculture
Mitigating circumstances
The company acknowledged its wrongdoing.
Liability of senior managers
Measures against individuals are not set out here.
Published
3 Sep 2026

Original amount 90,000 NZD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 3 Sep 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

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27 Aug 2026 Flower bulb business failed to disclose hours of Polish seasonal workers – fine of around 95,600 EUR NetherlandsMinimum wage and undeclared work €95,588

A lily and tulip grower with an average of around 50 (at peak 75) employees, where Polish migrant workers are employed (anonymised in the judgment), was unable to produce sufficient records of hours worked and wages paid for 18 employees for September 2020 to February 2021. The Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (Minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid) imposed 118,000 EUR in 2024 (112,100 EUR after objection); the North Netherlands District Court (Rechtbank Noord-Nederland) reduced the fine to 95,587.50 EUR, partly because of measures taken and excessively long proceedings.

What organisations can take from it

Companies employing seasonal workers must be able to document hours and wage payments for each person without gaps – missing records are fined separately for each employee.

Authority / court
Rechtbank Noord-Nederland (Bußgeld: Minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid / Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Art. 18b Abs. 2 Wet minimumloon en minimumvakantiebijslag (Wml)
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
reduced
Sector
Food and agriculture
Employees
50 to 249
Mitigating circumstances
Reduction of 12.5 % for appropriate measures, 5 % for delay and 2,500 EUR for exceeding the reasonable length of proceedings.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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24 Aug 2026 Fitnessstudiokette in Amsterdam (anonymisiert)Labour Authority: €316,875 in fines for Amsterdam gym chain NetherlandsMinimum wage and undeclared work €316,875

The Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie (Netherlands Labour Authority) imposed fines totalling 316,875 EUR on a gym chain in Amsterdam that is not named in the release. For 25 foreign workers the required work permit or combined residence and work permit was missing, and for three people identity had not been established (Wav, Foreign Nationals Employment Act, 234,375 EUR); because of deficient records it could not be verified whether the minimum wage had been paid for all hours worked (WML, Minimum Wage and Minimum Holiday Allowance Act, 60,000 EUR), plus a breach of the Arbeidstijdenwet (Working Hours Act, 22,500 EUR). The company also received two warnings that work may be preventively halted if the same or similar breaches recur.

What organisations can take from it

Before anyone starts work, their right to work and identity must be checked and working hours must be fully recorded.

Relevance to training and awareness

Checking the right to work and recording working hours

Authority / court
Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Wet arbeid vreemdelingen (Wav); Wet minimumloon en minimumvakantiebijslag (WML); Arbeidstijdenwet (ATW)
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Other
Published
24 Aug 2026

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

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13 Aug 2026 Plattform für Freelancer und neun entleihende Unternehmen (anonymisiert)Labour Authority fines freelance platform and nine hirers NetherlandsMinimum wage and undeclared work €153,300

The Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie (Netherlands Labour Authority) imposed fines totalling 153,300 EUR on a platform for freelancers and nine companies that used it to deploy foreign workers without a right to work in hospitality and education: 146,500 EUR under the Wav (Foreign Nationals Employment Act) (platform 66,000 EUR, the nine hirers 4,000 to 27,000 EUR each, together 80,500 EUR) and 6,800 EUR under the Waadi (Placement of Personnel by Intermediaries Act) (platform 3,400 EUR, two hirers 2,000 and 1,400 EUR). The platform regarded itself merely as an intermediary; based on how it actually operated, the Labour Authority classed it as an employer under the broad Wav definition.

What organisations can take from it

Platforms placing workers can be treated as employers based on how they actually operate and must check the right to work; hirers are liable as well.

Relevance to training and awareness

Employer obligations of placement platforms and hirers

Authority / court
Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Wet arbeid vreemdelingen (Wav); Wet allocatie arbeidskrachten door intermediairs (Waadi)
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Media and online platforms
Published
13 Aug 2026

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

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23 Apr 2026 12066424 Canada Inc.Temporary staffing agency: CA$100,000 over unpaid wages Canada, ONMinimum wage and undeclared work €62,555

Following complaints, the labour inspectorate found, among other things, outstanding minimum wages at the temporary staffing agency in Leamington; an audit for 2022 showed that hundreds of employees were owed a total of CA$234,212 in regular wages, public holiday pay and vacation pay. The company did not comply with the 2023 orders to pay; in proceedings held in its absence, the court imposed CA$100,000 on the company (plus victim fine surcharge).

What organisations can take from it

Companies that ignore regulatory orders to pay outstanding wages risk a substantial fine.

Authority / court
Provincial Offences Court Windsor (Ermittlung: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Employment Standards Act, 2000 (Ontario), ss. 103(8), 106, 132, 136
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Other
Liability of senior managers
Measures against individuals are not reported here.
Published
3 Jun 2026

Original amount 100,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Apr 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

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1 Apr 2026 Twelve Cupcakes Pte. Ltd.Twelve Cupcakes (Singapore): stern warning over unpaid salaries for 80 employees SingaporeMinimum wage and undeclared work Reprimand or warning

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM, Singapore's labour ministry) issued Twelve Cupcakes Pte. Ltd. a formal stern warning because 80 employees were not paid their salaries for 1 to 29 October 2025 after the company closed on 29 October 2025. The parent company Dhunseri Ventures Limited had placed it into liquidation because of an acute cash-flow shortfall; the ministry regarded the case as a genuine business closure in financial distress rather than a deliberate attempt to evade salary obligations and therefore limited its action to the warning.

What organisations can take from it

Even an unavoidable closure does not release an employer from paying wages – informing employees, the union and the authority early reduces the consequences for all sides.

Relevance to training and awareness

Salary payment obligations when closing a business

Authority / court
Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Singapur
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Employment Act (EA), Singapur (fristgerechte Lohnzahlung)
Action
Reprimand or warning
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Food and agriculture
Employees
50 to 249
Mitigating circumstances
Salaries paid in full up to and including September 2025 despite continued losses, union informed on the day management learned of the liquidation, liquidator appointed; salary claims rank ahead of other unsecured debts in the insolvency.
Published
1 Apr 2026

Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link

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19 Mar 2026 Busy Bees Nurseries LimitedBusy Bees: £485,374 in minimum wage arrears owed to 9,056 nursery staff United KingdomMinimum wage and undeclared work €561,854

The UK Department for Business and Trade publicly named the nursery operator Busy Bees Nurseries Limited in round 23 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme. According to investigations by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the company had paid a total of 9,056 workers less than the statutory minimum wage between April 2017 and October 2022 and had to repay £485,374.05 – on average around £54 per person. According to the ministry, the 389 employers named in this round also received penalties totalling around £12.6 million; the amount per company is not published.

What organisations can take from it

Where many employees earn close to the minimum wage, regularly checking payroll against the applicable minimum rates is a must – small shortfalls per person add up to large arrears and public naming.

Relevance to training and awareness

Minimum wage compliance in payroll

Authority / court
Department for Business and Trade (DBT) und HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Britisches Mindestlohnrecht (National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage); National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme
Action
Order
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Other
Employees
1,000 to 9,999
Published
19 Mar 2026

Original amount 485,374.05 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 19 Mar 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

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4 Feb 2026 Alco Harvesting LLC dba Bonipak Produce Inc. und verbundene UnternehmenBonipak: $6.175 million for farmworkers over undisclosed paid sick leave USA, CAMinimum wage and undeclared work €5.22m

Following the COVID death of a farmworker in employer-provided housing, the California Labor Commissioner's Office sued the agricultural business in Santa Maria in 2021: more than 10,000 farmworkers, including H-2A seasonal workers, had not been informed of their entitlement to paid sick leave; in addition, there was unpaid travel time as well as overtime and minimum wage violations. The settlement of $6,175,000 (of which $4.2 million goes directly to workers) includes posting and reporting obligations.

What organisations can take from it

Information obligations towards seasonal workers are not a formality – companies that leave workers in the dark about paid sick leave are liable for the consequences.

Authority / court
California Labor Commissioner's Office (Division of Labor Standards Enforcement)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
California Labor Code (Paid Sick Leave, COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave, Mindestlohn, Überstunden)
Action
Other
Status of proceedings
final
Sector
Food and agriculture
Published
4 Feb 2026

Original amount 6,175,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 4 Feb 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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22 Jan 2026 Logistics business: fines for minimum wage, reporting and foreign employment violations GermanyMinimum wage and undeclared work €13,731

Between June and December 2023, a logistics and transport business withheld a total of around 2,000 EUR in minimum wages from several employees, breached reporting and immediate notification obligations, and in July/August 2023 employed a foreign national without a residence permit. The fines: 5,231 EUR (minimum wage), 750 EUR each (reporting obligations) and 7,000 EUR (unauthorised employment of foreign nationals), totalling 13,731 EUR (date = publication).

What organisations can take from it

Even small wage arrears are penalised individually alongside reporting and residence violations – HR processes for new hires need a fixed checklist.

Relevance to training and awareness

Immediate notification and checking of work permits when hiring

Authority / court
Hauptzollamt Karlsruhe (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
§ 21 Abs. 1 Nr. 11 MiLoG; § 111 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 SGB IV; § 404 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 SGB III
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Transport, logistics and shipping
Published
22 Jan 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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9 Jan 2026 Bulgarian construction subcontractor: 215,000 EUR for paying below the minimum wage GermanyMinimum wage and undeclared work €215,000

A Bulgarian construction company that worked as a subcontractor for a German firm on a major construction site in the district of Tuttlingen between January and May 2023 paid below the minimum wage, recorded only the duration of working time rather than its start and end, and did not register the posting. Around 215,000 EUR was imposed on the company, corresponding to the economic benefit obtained by paying below the minimum wage; the decision issued in September 2025 has been final since the end of 2025 (date = publication; exact date of the decision not specified).

What organisations can take from it

General contractors should actively check the minimum wage, working time records and posting notifications of their foreign subcontractors; the economic benefit is disgorged in full.

Authority / court
Hauptzollamt Singen (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Mindestlohngesetz; Arbeitnehmer-Entsendegesetz (Aufzeichnungs- und Meldepflichten)
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
final
Sector
Construction and real estate
Published
9 Jan 2026

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

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13 Nov 2025 BSG: company car does not replace the minimum wage – additional contribution claims upheld GermanyMinimum wage and undeclared work Order

Two employers remunerated part-time workers solely by providing a company car. Germany's Federal Social Court (Bundessozialgericht, BSG) upheld the German pension insurance's claims for additional contributions: the benefit in kind does not satisfy the minimum wage entitlement, and contributions must be paid on the minimum wage owed (B 12 BA 8/24 R, B 12 BA 6/23 R).

What organisations can take from it

Remuneration models involving benefits in kind should be checked for minimum wage compliance before they are introduced – otherwise additional contribution claims going back years may follow.

Relevance to training and awareness

Minimum wage in money only – benefits in kind in payroll

Authority / court
Bundessozialgericht, 12. Senat (Betriebsprüfung: Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
§ 1 MiLoG; § 28p SGB IV (Betriebsprüfung)
Action
Order
Status of proceedings
final
Published
14 Nov 2025

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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9 Jul 2025 Well Sushi LimitedWell Sushi (New Zealand): 30,000 NZD penalty for minimum wage and holiday breaches New ZealandMinimum wage and undeclared work €15,350

On the application of a Labour Inspector, the Employment Relations Authority (New Zealand's employment relations tribunal) ordered Well Sushi Limited to pay a penalty of 30,000 NZD to the Crown. The company had admitted failing to pay an employee on a work visa the minimum wage for all hours worked, miscalculating his annual leave, public holiday and sick leave entitlements and failing to keep complete time and wage records; arrears totalling 53,940.03 NZD had already been paid under a settlement. No penalties were sought against the co-respondent Hutt Food Limited because the time limit had expired.

What organisations can take from it

Incomplete time records are not a mere formality: they lead to incorrect wage and leave calculations – particularly for employees on work visas.

Relevance to training and awareness

Time recording as the basis for correct wage and leave calculations

Authority / court
Employment Relations Authority, Wellington (Antrag: Labour Inspector, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Employment Relations Act 2000 (ss. 130, 135), Minimum Wage Act 1983 (s. 6), Holidays Act 2003 (u. a. ss. 16, 24, 25, 28A, 40, 49, 50, 60, 71, 72, 81)
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Food and agriculture
Repeat case
no
Mitigating circumstances
Settlement without a hearing, full payment of arrears, changed payroll processes and no previous breaches; the Authority therefore reduced the calculated 40,000 NZD to 30,000 NZD.

Original amount 30,000 NZD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 9 Jul 2025.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

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28 Mar 2025 Ontario International College Inc.Private college: CA$270,000 for ignored orders to pay wages Canada, ONMinimum wage and undeclared work €174,825

The college failed to pay 14 employees wages of almost CA$185,000 and ignored the labour inspectorate's orders to pay from 2019/2020. The court imposed CA$270,000 on the company, in addition to the outstanding wages.

What organisations can take from it

Outstanding wage claims do not go away; the fine comes on top of the back pay.

Authority / court
Provincial Offences Court Toronto (Ermittlung: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Employment Standards Act, 2000 (Ontario), ss. 103(8), 106, 132, 136
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Other
Liability of senior managers
Measures against individuals are not reported here.
Published
28 May 2025

Original amount 270,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 28 Mar 2025.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

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6 Feb 2024 three Canadian companiesOttawa: CAD 545,000 for three companies over ignored wage orders Canada, ONMinimum wage and undeclared workanonymised €375,189

In an ex parte trial, the Provincial Offences Court in Ottawa convicted three numbered companies, which operated under a common trade name, of offences under the Employment Standards Act. An employment standards officer of the provincial labour ministry had found that seven employees were owed around 340,000 CAD in wages; neither the orders to pay nor two demands for records were complied with. The fines on the companies total 545,000 CAD, plus a statutory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge. Measures against individuals are not set out here.

What organisations can take from it

Ignoring official orders to pay wages turns an outstanding wage claim into a prosecution.

Relevance to training and awareness

Handling official wage orders and demands for records

Authority / court
Provincial Offences Court Ottawa (Ermittlung: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Employment Standards Act, 2000 (Ontario), ss. 132, 136, 91(8)
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Other
Liability of senior managers
Measures against individuals are not set out here.
Published
27 Mar 2024

Original amount 545,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 6 Feb 2024.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 6 Feb 2026 · Direct link

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30 Jan 2024 Vegetable grower cheats harvest workers out of minimum wage: around 500,000 EUR in fines and confiscation GermanyMinimum wage and undeclared workanonymised €500,000

A vegetable-growing business did not pay harvest workers the collectively agreed minimum wage; the shortfall was just under 300,000 EUR. The investigation was based on interviews conducted with interpreters and the analysis of working time and harvest volume data. Fines of around 200,000 EUR were imposed, and around 300,000 EUR in proceeds of the offence were confiscated in addition (date = publication).

What organisations can take from it

Piece-rate and volume-based pay in seasonal work must reach the minimum wage per hour; deductions for accommodation and work equipment are closely scrutinised.

Authority / court
Hauptzollamt Karlsruhe (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Mindestlohn- bzw. Tarifrecht (tariflich bestimmter Mindestlohn); Einziehung des Tatertrags
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Food and agriculture
Published
30 Jan 2024
Sources

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 30 Jan 2026 · Direct link

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15 Jun 2023 a German football clubCustoms Munich: around €200,000 confiscated from football club over minimum wage GermanyMinimum wage and undeclared workanonymised €200,000

A football club employed staff in its youth academy from 2016 to 2021 on a €450 mini-job basis although they actually worked far more hours; minimum-wage and record-keeping duties were breached. The Hauptzollamt München (Munich main customs office) issued a confiscation order of around €200,000; in addition, around €45,500 in social security contributions and late-payment surcharges are being reclaimed.

What organisations can take from it

For mini-jobs the hours actually worked count; anyone allowing more hours than agreed must record them and pay the minimum wage for them.

Relevance to training and awareness

Mini-jobs: actual hours count, not contractual hours

Authority / court
Hauptzollamt München
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
Legal basis
Mindestlohngesetz (Mindestlohn, Aufzeichnungspflicht); Einziehungsbescheid
Action
Disgorgement of profits
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Other
Published
15 Jun 2023
Sources

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 15 Jun 2025 · Direct link

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