wac, an hourly-paid work platform aiming to empower workers to receive fair pay, is urging the government to do more to ensure more employees are paid correctly and empowered to make a claim when they are not.
In May 2025, the UK government announced that it had helped put a total of £7.4million back into the pockets of 60,000 workers who had been paid less than they were entitled to by their employers.
On the face of it, the claim may appear like a rare success story. As part of the government’s ‘Plan for Change’, and in a move to ‘Make Work Pay’, it has managed to ensure that millions were rightfully returned to hardworking UK citizens, alongside naming and shaming 518 companies guilty of underpaying staff.
However, George Fairhall, a champion of fair pay and founder of wac, warns that the announcement shouldn’t be framed as a win, because the recovered money is only a tiny proportion of the actual amount workers across the UK have already been underpaid, and will likely continue to be in the future.
“£7.4million back in the pockets of UK workers is a good headline,” Fairhall explained. “But in reality, it’s a drop in the ocean. Our data shows that wage theft is more prevalent than ever, and only a small portion gets reported, let alone investigated. I think most businesses got off lightly.”
Speaking to The Fintech Times, she explained that a wac survey of 21,000 users revealed that just under half (45 per cent) of its user base is being underpaid, largely due to misrecorded shifts, unpaid breaks, incorrect rates, or missing overtime. Contrast this with House of Commons Library research, which states that between four and nine per cent of UK workers are ‘likely underpaid’, and it’s clear there’s a disconnect between government findings and reality.
Governmental failings
According to the government’s release, the investigations by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) concluded between 2015 to 2022. The fact that some firms have only recently been penalised for underpayment offences that occurred in 2015, as long as an entire decade ago, shows that something has to change.
“It shouldn’t take nearly a decade for a worker to be repaid £100,” says Fairhall. “Most people never even realise they were short-changed unless they are tracking their hours. Most trust that their employers are doing the right thing, but this isn’t always the case.”
Looking at the announcement itself, it’s hard to look past the fact that it is a bit of a wasted opportunity. It does not explain how any of the nearly 60,000 workers claimed their unpaid earnings, how they reported their case, and what evidence they provided to ensure a successful claim.
Although it does recommend that those who suspect they are being underpaid contact the ACAS helpline, Fairhall revealed that a number of wac users who have contacted ACAS or Citizens’ Advice were simply told they can’t do anything to reclaim unpaid wages.
Many millions more are also likely unaware of the announcement or the fact that they can dispute their pay. In fact, wac’s founder told us that, if all workers kept track, millions, if not tens of millions of workers, would realise they’re not being paid their due.
Addressing the issue
To make companies more accountable, and to ensure that people are aware of this issue, wac is calling on the government to:
- Shorten the time to investigate wage complaints
- Fund awareness campaigns so workers know their rights
- Work with experts, like wac, to provide users with more support and tools to keep track of their work
In a move to protect employees, Fairhall launched wac in 2020, having experienced being paid incorrectly firsthand while working in the hospitality industry. The hourly-paid work platform enables workers to track their shifts, rotas, and pay, boasting a tax tracker that estimates tax, pension, and student loan deductions based on their earnings.
The app also has a built-in location tracker to ensure freelancers and workers have extra proof of when they worked, with all relevant information used to create a unique shareable report.
wac is also doing its bit to educate workers on their rights. Fairhall explained: “The app is offering educational support, which most people don’t normally have access to and aren’t taught in schools. We help explain why your payslip looks a certain way, what your tax is, what holiday pay you’re entitled to, what breaks you should get, and what the minimum wage is currently. We also offer customer service, so if they need to understand something, or something has happened that they need help with, we are there to help them work it out.”
Growth plans
So farr, wac has experienced rapid growth throughout the UK, reaching nearly 500,000 downloads. However, despite only marketing wac in the UK, the app has been downloaded in 130 countries worldwide, with organic growth showing across the US, Europe, and Australia, highlighting just how much of a global issue underpayments have become.
Looking to the future, wac is exploring the potential of partnering with legal firms to ensure it is always providing accurate, up-to-date information for a number of regions. The team is also already in the process of integrating AI to provide individualised support to each user, offering a worker that can answer questions, help keep track of shifts, and organise their work details.
