An Australian court has fined Qantas AUD90 million (R1 billion) for illegally firing over 1 800 ground workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to court proceedings, this is the largest fine the court has ever issued to an Australian company for contravention of the Fair Work Act.
Federal Court Justice Michael Lee, ruled that Qantas had adopted an “unrelenting and aggressive” litigation strategy to avoid paying the workers compensation.
After four years of litigation, in 2024 Qantas paid AUD120 million (R1,4 billion) into a compensation fund for all the affected former employees.
In a statement, Qantas Group CEO, Vanessa Hudson, confirmed that the airline would pay the penalty in accordance with the court, and apologised to impacted employees.
