Employers would also have to pay interest to underpaid workers in addition to the arrears in wages.

Under the current regime employers already face fines and they can face prosecutionleading to a criminal record and a ?5,000 fine.

The new proposals are set out in a consultation aimed at strengthening the penalties regime for offences against employment agency legislation and introducing clearer investigative powers for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.Guess who is the boss?

Views are sought on whether offences should be tried in the Crown Court and on whether the Inspectorate should be given clearer powers to obtain financial information on suspects. The consultation document can be found here on the DTI website .