A COMPANY, which runs a car dealership in Old Basing, has been named and shamed in a list of employers who failed to pay their staff the minimum wage.

Saftdwin Limited, which runs a Volkswagen car dealership in London Road, Old Basing and dealerships in Andover, Farnham and Camberley, was found to have underpaid two workers by £806.37.

Currently, the minimum wage is £6.31 per hour for people over 18 and this will rise to £6.50 from October.

Under new rules, which came into effect last October, the Government can release lists of employers who fail to pay their staff the minimum wage.

As well as being named and shamed, employers also face a new penalty, introduced in January, of up to a maximum of £20,000, regardless of how many employees have been underpaid.

The Government is planning to introduce new powers over the next year to fine employers £20,000 for each employee that is underpaid.

The latest 25 employers found not to pay the minimum wage to staff, which was released on June 8, were investigated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after members of staff called a free helpline to report that they had been, or were currently being, underpaid.

HMRC hopes the new name-and-shame scheme will raise awareness of national minimum wage enforcement and deter employers who may be tempted to break the law by not paying their staff the minimum wage.

Jennie Granger, director of enforcement and compliance at HMRC, said: “Paying the national minimum wage is not a choice – it’s the law. HMRC will continue to ensure that workers get at least the wage to which they are legally entitled.

“Where an employer ignores these rules, we will ensure that any arrears are paid out in full and the employer is fined. Rogue employers be warned – we will find you and you will pay.”

A spokesman from Saftdwin Limited said: “We worked closely with HMRC during their investigation, which highlighted two discrepancies over a period of three years out of 275 staff.

“Having had this brought to our attention, it was rectified immediately and the affected staff paid accordingly. We undertook a review of processes and are confident of no future occurrences.”