Name and shame

It is one thing to have a rule but quite another to turn a blind eye when the rules are flouted. If the guilty are not to be brought o task ,what’s the point then of having rules at all?

And a good lesson for us corporate here in India can be had from UK. The UK Govt has stipulated a minimum wage and those who do not adhere to this, the Govt has gone ahead and named and shamed them. It has published a list of 25 employers who failed to pay their workers the minimum wage, who collectively owe more than £43,000 to their staff. This ‘name and shame’ rule came into effect since October 2013 and we for one think, it is an excellent move. Only when companies are shamed will they get into corrective action. In the list it was shocking to see the name of a football club, which pays millions of pounds to their prized players but gets stingy when it comes to staff. This club, not named, made staff pay for their own uniforms and also made deductions for travelling time. The club was made to pay arrears of more than £27,500 to 3,000 hospitality workers.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said companies that underpay their staff face penalties of up to £20,000. Plans are currently underway to fine companies £20,000 per underpaid employee. The national minimum wage is also expected to rise to £6.50 in October.

Here in India, banks had decided that they would name and shame defaulting debtors but apart from S Kumar’s Kasliwal, named by Union Bank, no one really had the gall to name and shame. Indeed this is a good practice – if one can stomach fame and status, why not name and shame when they fail on their basic duties as citizens of India?