A Melbourne business has been caught out underpaying three workers by a combined $133,000 over a three year period.

A & S Wholesale Fruit and Vegetables Pty Ltd, which trades as Parkmore Fruit and Vege Market and Melbourne MarketPlace, was charged with underpaying workers, non-compliant record keeping and falsifying employment records.

The Federal Circuit Court ordered the company to pay the workers back $133,000, and slapped the business with $200,000 in fines for the offences between 2012 and 2014.

The workers were paid as little as $10 an hour, and two employees were ‘off the books’ during some periods of their employment.

One employee worked an average of 130 hours a fortnight, and was underpaid for all hours he worked. He was paid just $10 cash for every hour he worked after the first 76 hours.

Another worker began working for the company when she was 16 and was paid just $10 per hour throughout her employment.