Vic farmer accused of underpaying workers

A fruit farmer in northern Victoria has been accused of underpaying two Malaysian pickers by more than $13,000 and trying to hide the underpayments from the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The ombudsman alleges Woorinen stone fruit farmer Chris Zucco, and his company Zucco Farming, underpaid the man and his father-in-law, who were both in Australia on bridging visas, by $13,529 between August 2015 and March 2016.

Fair Work, which also alleges the farmer provided false and misleading pay records to inspectors, says Mr Zucco and his company are due in the Federal Circuit Court in Melbourne on August 21.