Fair Work is investigating claims that strawberry pickers have been paid as little as $4 an hour.

Former workers from Ti Strawberry Farm in Bullsbrook, Western Australia, likened their conditions at the farm to a “forced labour camp” in interviews for the ABC this week.

Workers reported earning just $200 per week on average, barely enough to cover their rent at the farm.

It is not the first time such claims have been raised against the Ti Strawberry Farm, whose operators and an associated labour-hire company have previously had to pay back staff.

One worker told reporters that he was paid just 15 cents (which included superannuation) for packing a punnet of strawberries, meaning they would have to pack a punnet every 20 seconds to make minimum piecework rates.

The farms owner allegedly made a video of himself packing strawberries at the rate required to earn the minimum wage, but has not spoken to the media.

He issued a statement saying; “Some people have in the past earned very low rates but these are usually people that come to the farm to complete their regional work requirement to obtain a second year visa. They usually either have no interest towards and sometimes even resent having to do farm work.”

The Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating.