Crumby conditions for Vic bakery staff

More than 200 Victorian bakery workers have been short-changed on their dough or were working under crumby conditions, an investigation has found.

After a high number of complaints in 2012, FairWork inspectors randomly audited 81 bakeries across the Victoria.

Almost half were found to be paying incorrect wages and entitlements.

Staff underpayments varied from as little as $80 at one business, and up to $24,000 at another.

As a result, 211 workers were repaid a total of $146,923.

The findings highlight that small mistakes, left over time, can result in hefty repayments that might not be budgeted for, Ombudsman Natalie James said.

"A quarter of the underpayments were the result of the bakeries underpaying penalty rates and shift loadings," Ms James said.

"Fair Work inspectors also identified instances of employers neglecting to pay employees for some time worked and not providing applicable meal breaks."

She said businesses acted swiftly to rectify errors, once identified, and had changed processes to ensure no repeat.