A PEMBROKESHIRE company has been named and shamed by the UK Government for underpaying a worker by more than £4,000.

Chilton Motors Limited in Pembroke was one of 10 Welsh employers named and shamed today, Friday, August 5, for breaking national minimum wage law.

Investigations by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) revealed that Chilton Motors failed to pay £4,171 to one worker between 2012 and 2018.

The money has been paid back since the discrepancy was revealed on top of a fine for breaching

Every single UK worker is entitled to the national minimum wage, which increased last April, no matter their age or profession.

The investigations by HMRC found that £78k was owed to 171 workers whose employers had breached the regulations between 2012 and 2018.

Named employers have since been made to pay back what they owed, and were fined an additional £100k, showing it is never acceptable to underpay workers.

A UK government spokesperson said that while not all minimum wage underpayments are intentional, it has always been the responsibility of all employers to abide by the law and all employers should check the guidance available on gov.uk.

Minimum wage breaches can occur when workers are being paid on or just above the minimum wage rate, and then have deductions from their pay for uniform or accommodation.

The employers named today previously underpaid workers by either failing to pay workers for all the time they had worked, such as when they worked overtime; paying the incorrect apprenticeship rate or failing to pay the uprated minimum wage.

A significant number of the minimum wage breaches identified today affected those on apprenticeships and new government guidance has been published this week to ensure employers know exactly what they need to do to pay their apprentices, and all workers, correctly.

Business Minister, Paul Scully, said: "Welsh employers can't take their eye off the ball when it comes to upholding workers' rights.

"There is never an excuse to short-change workers and paying the minimum wage isn't optional.

"It's up to all employers in Wales, including those on this list, to check government guidance and pay workers properly."

Chair of the Low Pay Commission Bryan Sanderson added:

"These are very difficult times for all workers, particularly those on low pay who are often undertaking critical tasks in a variety of key sectors including care. The minimum wage provides a crucial level of support and compliance is essential for the benefit of both the recipients and our society as a whole."

Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates. They also face hefty financial penalties of up to 200% of arrears - capped at £20,000 per worker - which are paid to the government.

As well as advice for employers, HMRC offer advice for all workers on how to ensure they are being paid correctly via the Check your pay website.