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Swizzels Underpays 437 Staff - High Peak's Biggest Sweet Maker Caught Short

New Mills-based sweet manufacturer Swizzels Matlow has been named by the UK government for failing to pay the national minimum wage, having underpaid 437 workers by a total of £19,961.54.

The iconic High Peak company, famous for Love Hearts and Parma Violets, was included in a list of 389 employers published by the Department for Business and Trade on 19th March 2026. The list is part of a government initiative to "name and shame" companies that have failed to meet their minimum wage obligations.

According to the government report, the underpayment at Swizzels was due to deductions for uniforms and a failure to pay for all working time. The average underpayment per affected worker was approximately £45.67.

Swizzels Responds: "An Unintentional Error"

In a statement, Swizzels HR Director Nici Matlow explained that the issue stemmed from an unintentional error related to the company’s salary sacrifice scheme for workplace pensions.

"The recent report from HMRC regarding the National Minimum Wage relates to an unintentional, technical breach which was identified in 2022. This related to our salary sacrifice workplace pension scheme, which was a popular and beneficial scheme that over 90% of our colleagues had chosen to join."As soon as we were made aware of this, we reimbursed all affected colleagues. We have since replaced this with a new workplace pension scheme that is not based on a salary sacrifice arrangement to ensure this does not happen again."

A Nationwide Issue

The government’s latest naming round revealed that nearly 60,000 workers across the UK were underpaid by a total of over £7.3 million. The 389 companies on the list have been ordered to repay the owed wages and have faced penalties totalling £12.6 million.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle stated that the government is cracking down on employers who underpay, and that a new Fair Work Agency will be established in April 2026 to strengthen enforcement of workers' rights.

While Swizzels has since rectified the issue and reimbursed its staff, its inclusion on the list has brought a major local employer into a national conversation about fair pay and corporate responsibility.