An international student working at a Melbourne takeaway shop has been underpaid $23,000 because her boss said she was “not an Aussie”.

The 27-year-old Nepalese student, who worked at the Health Express takeaway food store at DFO South Wharf, told the Fair Work Ombudsman she was paid a flat rate of $12 an hour while her Australian friends were receiving “over $20 an hour”.

She is one of two international students who complained about being underpaid at Health Express.

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Fairfax Media quoted the woman as saying, in a recorded interview with the Fair Work Ombudsman: “When I came for the interview, he (store owner) said that I will give you the job.

“But as you are not an Aussie, I will be paying you a lesser amount.

“It was really embarrassing for me.”

Another foreign worker – this time an Indian student – was allegedly underpaid more than $27,300.

Fairfax said the owner has agreed to back-pay $50,000 to his former workers.

Fair Work Ombudsman’s Natalie James said employers had no right to pay below minimum wage requirements.

“It is important that there is a fair, competitive environment for employers who are doing the right thing by creating a level playing field in relation to business costs,” she said.

“Employers simply cannot undercut the minimum lawful entitlements of their employees based on what they think the job may be worth, what the employee is happy to accept, what other businesses are paying, or what the job may pay in their country of origin.”