Qantas Airways was ordered to pay A$90 million ($59 million) for illegally sacking almost 2,000 ground workers during the pandemic, in a court judgment that included sharp criticism of the airline’s culture and raised questions about how much the company has changed.
In a ruling Monday, the Federal Court of Australia told Qantas to pay A$50 million of the penalty directly to the Transport Workers’ Union, which had sued the airline over the firings. A portion of the remainder, to be determined at a later hearing, might go to some of the 1,820 sacked workers. The fine comes on top of last year’s A$120 million compensation deal for the impacted former employees.
Qantas outsourced ground-handling operations at 10 Australian airports in late 2020, under then-Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce, as the pandemic brought aviation to a standstill. The Transport Workers’ Union argued staff were axed to avoid looming negotiations over pay and conditions and potential strikes.
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