Qantas Fined Record Amount Over Covid-19 Layoffs

Australia’s largest airline, Qantas, has been hit with a record fine after illegally dismissing 1,820 ground staff during the pandemic.

The Federal Court imposed a penalty of 90 million Australian dollars (US $59 million). Justice Michael Lee described the ruling as a precedent-setting decision meant to serve as a “real deterrent” for other employers, preventing large corporations from thinking they can get away with similar actions.

Court documents show that Justice Lee questioned Qantas’s corporate culture and the sincerity of its remorse, criticising its “relentless and aggressive” legal strategy as an attempt to avoid paying compensation to affected workers.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson announced the company would pay the fine, saying:

“We sincerely apologise to each of the 1,820 ground services employees affected and their families. The outsourcing decision made five years ago, especially in such an uncertain time, created real hardship.”

This penalty marks the largest financial sanction ever imposed on an Australian company under the Fair Work Act.

The illegal layoffs add to Qantas’s string of scandals in recent years, including a 100 million AUD fine last year for selling tickets on flights that were later cancelled.

Source: BBC

Photo: Reuters