Basic Rights Violation for 1 in 7 UK Workers

An independent Fair Work Agency (FWA) report reveals widespread UK labour non-compliance, challenging the view that rogue employers are rare. Over the two years leading up to summer 2025, the report found that 14% of workers suffered core rights violations, such as minimum wage and contract breaches.

Broader workplace harms, including unpaid overtime and bullying, impacted 70% of workers - up to 28.7 million people. "Precarious workers" in low-income or gig roles were hit hardest, with over a quarter facing breaches.

The report recommends raising the FWA’s visibility to drive proactive enforcement and improving communication channels for reporting abuses.

The FWA has the power to inspect workplaces/records (such as holiday pay records and National Minimum Wage records), require employers to produce relevant documents, enforce statutory payments and enforce labor market criminal offences.

Is your business FWA-ready? Find out exactly where you stand with a proactive compliance audit. Contact our team via hello@starfordlegalhr.com