TWO Bury firms have been named and shamed for failing to pay their workers the National Minimum Wage.

A1 Independent British 4x4 Specialists, a car workshop in Fernhill Street, owed £1,422.44 to one worker, according to figures released by the government last week.

And Simply Auto Enrolment Solutions, of Longsight Road, Holcombe Brook, was also listed among the 197 employers who were fined for not paying the statutory minimum hourly rate of pay.

The pension scheme enrolment company owed £390 to one employee.

A company spokesman told the Bury Times: "The circumstances leading to the underpayment of £390 related to a single individual who left the company’s employment abruptly. Following his departure the company made a number of attempts to contact him, all without success.

"We eventually received a letter from HMRC regarding the individual, related to a minimum wage claim. We do not operate a timed clocking system for our employees, and were unable to confirm the hours which he claimed to have worked.

"In the circumstances we opted to make the payment rather than enter in to protracted correspondence, and paid the amount in full.

"We are a responsible employer and do our utmost to ensure all our staff are treated fairly and within the statutory guidelines."

A spokesman for A1 Independent British 4x4 Specialists said that their issue was caused by an accounting error and that the employee, who was an apprentice at the time, was fully repaid and has since left the company.

Between them, the 197 companies named owed £465,291 in arrears, across a range of employers including football clubs, hotels, care homes and hairdressers. All of the money owed to these workers has been paid back to them.

Business Minister Margot James said: "This government is determined to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.

"That means making sure everyone gets paid the wages they are owed – including our new, higher, National Living Wage. It is not acceptable that some employers fail to pay at least the minimum wage their workers are entitled to.

"So we’ll continue to crack down on those who ignore the law, including by naming and shaming them."

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for more resources to be given to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs Service (HMRC) to clamp down on employers who avoid paying staff the minimum wage.

Lynn Collins, North West TUC Regional Secretary, said “It is shocking that so many employers across the region have failed to pay workers the basic minimum.

“Getting workers the money they are owed is important but simply naming and shaming the employers isn’t deterring others from doing it. There needs to be penalties for any bad boss who thinks about short changing their.

“HMRC staff deserve credit for winning back millions of pounds for cheated employees but they need greater resources to catch those who cheat their staff.”