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.