Australian Court Slams Qantas with Record Fine for Illegal Sackings
In a landmark ruling, an Australian court has hit airline giant Qantas with a hefty A$90m (£43m; $59m) fine for unlawfully terminating over 1,800 ground workers amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Transport Workers’ Union of Australia hailed the decision as a historic moment, citing it as the largest employer penalty ever imposed in the country.
Delivering the judgement, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee emphasized the significance of the fine as a strong deterrent for other employers considering similar actions.
Qantas, in a statement, acknowledged the ruling and expressed accountability for the detrimental impact their actions had on employees.
“We deeply regret the hardship faced by each of the 1,820 ground handling employees and their families as a result,” stated Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson.
The airline’s controversial move to outsource its ground operations in 2020 amidst the pandemic triggered a prolonged legal battle and public outcry.
As part of the penalty, Qantas was directed to pay A$50m directly to the transport workers’ union, which had taken legal action against the airline for the dismissals.
The union hailed the court’s decision as a victory for the impacted workers and termed it as the culmination of a long and strenuous battle against corporate injustice.
Judge Lee highlighted the significance of the substantial fine in deterring other major corporations from disregarding workplace laws and exploiting their workforce.
The court questioned Qantas’ corporate ethics, particularly noting the firm’s aggressive legal tactics aimed at evading compensatory obligations to the affected employees.
In a separate case, Qantas was required to pay A$120m in compensation to the dismissed workers after losing successive appeals in court.
The illegal terminations were part of a series of scandals involving the airline, including a previous penalty of A$100m for misleading ticket sales on cancelled flights.
