Young Asian workers making cheesecakes and muffins for a supplier to Coles and Woolworths were targeted by the labour-hire company that ripped them off because they were "younger, cheaper and faster than locals who are old and slow".

The Federal Circuit Court fined Sydney woman Yan Hu $17,556 – her company Global Express Consultancy Pty Ltd has been penalised a further $87,783 – after she admitted underpaying 19 employees from Taiwan and Hong Kong on 417 working holiday visas a total of more than $45,000.

The Fair Work Ombudsman said Hu paid employees flat rates of $16 to $18 an hour, resulting in underpayment of the minimum hourly award rates, casual loadings, Saturday penalty rates and overtime rates.

Ms Hu also unlawfully deducted bonds of up to $400 from some of the employees' wages, to be returned if they stayed with her company for at least six months and were not "lazy". Laws requiring pay slips were also breached.