Qantas brand takes another hit as airline ordered to pay illegally sacked employees
Qantas has been ordered to pay out $170,000 to three ground workers illegally sacked during the Covid pandemic, as part of a test ruling that could see the airline hit with millions in costs.
The Federal Court ruled in 2021 that Qantas had acted illegally when it fired 1,700 workers during the pandemic, in order to replace them with cheaper contracted workers.
The airline unsuccessfully fought the guilty verdict in the Federal and High courts, and on Monday morning Justice Michael Lee ruled that three of the 716 ground staffers represented by the Transport Workers Union would share in $170,000, as a test case before the final amount of compensation is decided next month.
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said the decision was “justice” for workers, after a four-year court battle.
“The TWU took on Australia’s biggest corporate bully at a time workers were told they were just a casualty of the pandemic,” Kaine said.
“In reality they were victims of a systematic attempt by Qantas to decimate the pay and conditions of its workforce.
“It’s astounding that Qantas attempted to argue it should not pay a dollar of compensation to workers it illegally sacked to prevent them accessing workplace rights.
“It was an added kick in the guts after the pain and suffering the airline has caused to these workers and their families.”
After losing the initial Federal Court case in 2021, Qantas Group Executive John Gissing said the TWU had a “persecution complex” and that “Qantas was motivated only by lawful commercial reasons,” citing the pandemic.
Qantas today apologised to former ground handling employees and said it accepts the Federal Court’s ruling on compensation and “will work to expedite the payments” to workers.
Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Hudson said: “We sincerely apologise to our former employees who were impacted by this decision and we know that the onus is on Qantas to learn from this.
“We recognise the emotional and financial impact this has had on these people and their families.
“We hope that this provides closure to those who have been affected.”
Keep up to date with the latest in media and marketing
Got a tip?
Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
Linkedin
Have your say