A judge fined Qantas Airways AU$90 million for illegally terminating over 1,800 ground staff at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. This penalty is in addition to AU$120 million already agreed for compensation to those employees after a previous court ruling deemed the outsourcing of their roles illegal. Justice Michael Lee emphasized the significant violation of labor laws, suggesting the penalty was necessary for deterrence. He expressed skepticism towards Qantas's apology and noted potential damage to the airline's reputation rather than true remorse for the affected staff.
The outsourcing of 1,820 baggage handler and cleaner jobs at Australian airports in late 2020 was the 'largest and most significant contravention' of Australian labor laws in their 120-year history.
Lee ruled that the minimum fine to create a deterrence should be AU$90 million ($59 million), noting that Qantas executives had expected to save AU$125 million through outsourcing the jobs.
Lee questioned the sincerity of Qantas's apology for its illegal conduct, noting that the airline later unsuccessfully argued that it owed no compensation to its former staff.
I do think that the people in charge of Qantas now have some genuine regret, but this more likely reflects the damage that this case has done to the company rather than remorse for the damage done to the affected workers.
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