Hundreds of workers who prepare and serve meals for the US congress and staff in US Senate cafeterias will receive more than $1m (£760k) in back wages.

The move follows a US Department of Labor investigation that found their employers failed to pay prevailing wages required of federal contractors.

In a statement from the department, its Wage and Hour Division revealed hospitality company Restaurant Associates and its subcontractor staffing agency Personnel Plus will pay 674 workers $1,008,302 in back wages. 

The division found the firms had violated the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act when they improperly classified workers. This meant they had paid them for lower-paying jobs than they actually performed, and required employees to work before scheduled starting times without compensation. 

Paying below the required rates also caused the companies to fail to pay the workers overtime at proper rates.

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