Qantas fined over £43 million for illegally sacking 1,800 workers during Covid pandemic
Major airline fined £43 million for sacking workers during pandemic
- Qantas Airways has been fined AU$90 million (£43 million) by Australia's Federal Court for illegally dismissing over 1,800 ground staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- This penalty is in addition to the AU$120 million in compensation Qantas had already agreed to pay its former employees.
- Justice Michael Lee described the outsourcing of 1,820 baggage handler and cleaner jobs in late 2020 as the "largest and most significant contravention" of Australian labour laws in their 120-year history.
- The Transport Workers Union, which pursued the five-year legal battle against Qantas, will receive AU $50 million of the fine, with the destination of the remaining money to be decided later.
- The union said the ruling sends a clear message to employers about accountability for illegal workforce treatment.