Qantas Faces Major Fine For Illegally Sacking Ground Staff Amid Pandemic, Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Published on August 18, 2025

Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, is now facing a important good aft illegally sacking complete 1800 workers during nan COVID-19 pandemic. The airline’s determination to outsource crushed staff for illustration baggage handlers and cleaners successful 2020 led to a ineligible conflict that concluded pinch a tribunal ruling that Qantas violated labour laws. Despite its entreaty to nan High Court, nan determination remained unchanged, and now, Qantas will look a punishment arsenic portion of nan aftermath. The Transport Workers Union is seeking nan maximum good of $121 million, while nan hose hopes for a mid-range good betwixt $40 cardinal and $80 million. In summation to this fine, Qantas has already paid $120 cardinal successful compensation to nan affected workers. This ineligible rustle adds to nan airline’s ongoing struggles, raising superior concerns astir really Qantas handles its workforce and its early successful nan post-pandemic era.

The Legal Fallout from Qantas’ Outsourcing Decision

The Legal Fallout from Qantas’ Outsourcing DecisionIn 2020, Qantas made nan arguable determination to outsource cardinal roles, specified arsenic baggage handling, cleaning, and crushed unit operations. The move, which impacted complete 1800 workers, was seen by nan Transport Workers Union (TWU) arsenic a nonstop effort to trim national power, particularly arsenic nan hose struggled to enactment afloat amid nan pandemic. The tribunal ruled that Qantas had violated labour laws by not consulting unions earlier making these changes, an enactment that was deemed to person been designed to portion workers of their corporate bargaining power.

Despite appealing nan ruling to nan High Court, nan original determination stood, mounting nan shape for nan punishment Qantas now faces. The hose is expected to salary a hefty good aft being recovered blameworthy of breaching employment laws by illegally sacking workers nether nan guise of pandemic-related cost-cutting measures.

The Penalty: What Qantas Faces

The Federal Court is group to manus down its determination connected nan fine, pinch nan Transport Workers Union seeking nan maximum punishment of $121 million. However, Qantas has based on for a “mid-range” penalty, which could autumn betwixt $40 cardinal and $80 million. This ruling comes conscionable aft nan hose paid $120 cardinal successful compensation to nan affected crushed unit to screen economical losses, pain, and suffering.

The ineligible conflict revolves astir Qantas’ determination to outsource these jobs astatine nan tallness of nan pandemic erstwhile nan hose faced unprecedented financial challenges. While Qantas claims that nan outsourcing was a correction alternatively than a deliberate rule violation, nan tribunal has upheld nan ruling that nan airline’s actions were so unlawful.

The Broader Implications for Qantas and nan Aviation Industry

Qantas, which was nether nan activity of erstwhile CEO Alan Joyce during these events, has faced a turbulent fewer years. The airline, which was 1 of nan fewer awesome Australian carriers to debar bankruptcy during nan pandemic, was already struggling financially owed to reduced request for recreation and operational constraints caused by COVID-19. Despite this, nan airline’s handling of nan business has raised questions astir its committedness to worker authorities and firm responsibility.

The punishment and compensation costs are portion of a broader group of ineligible issues Qantas has faced successful caller years. Earlier, nan hose was sued by nan Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for trading tickets for canceled flights, resulting successful a $100 cardinal fine. This shape of ineligible challenges has painted a troubling image for nan airline’s reputation, further complicating its efforts to rebuild spot pinch customers and employees.

Qantas’ Pandemic Resilience aliases Corporate Missteps?

Despite nan ineligible turmoil, Qantas has continuously emphasized its expertise to navigate nan crisis. In a caller speech, Alan Joyce reflected connected nan airline’s resilience during nan pandemic, claiming that nan company’s expertise to stay operational done 1 of nan astir challenging periods successful aviation history was a consequence of decisions made good successful advance.

Joyce highlighted that Qantas was nan only awesome Australian hose that did not spell bankrupt during aliases aft nan pandemic, stressing that nan airline’s betterment was not based connected luck, but alternatively a proactive attack to financial survival. However, this communicative has been met pinch criticism, particularly fixed nan ineligible and ethical concerns surrounding nan airline’s curen of its workforce.

While Joyce’s activity was credited pinch keeping nan hose afloat, it has besides been criticized for nan reliable decisions made successful dealing pinch labor during nan tallness of nan pandemic. The ongoing ineligible challenges underscore nan hostility betwixt business endurance and firm work to workers.

The Future of Qantas: Rebuilding Trust

As Qantas moves forward, nan cardinal mobility will beryllium really nan hose tin rebuild its reputation. With a grounds of ineligible battles, including nan outsourced workers’ lawsuit and nan summons refund issue, nan hose faces an uphill struggle successful restoring trust.

The hose has pledged to activity much intimately pinch unions and labor arsenic it recovers from nan pandemic, but nan scars of its actions during nan situation will not slice easily. Moving forward, Qantas will request to attraction connected repairing its narration pinch unit and ensuring compliance pinch labour laws to debar further ineligible consequences.

Impact connected nan Australian Aviation Industry

The fallout from Qantas’ ineligible battles has broader implications for nan aviation manufacture successful Australia. As nan manufacture recovers from nan pandemic, airlines will beryllium scrutinized not only for their financial capacity but besides for their curen of employees. The Qantas lawsuit sets a precedent for really airlines should attack national negotiations and worker use during times of crisis.

The manufacture arsenic a full will request to study from Qantas’ mistakes and attraction connected balancing cost-cutting measures pinch adjacent curen of workers to debar akin ineligible challenges successful nan future. The result of Qantas’ ineligible struggles could service arsenic a informing for different airlines astir nan value of complying pinch labour laws and maintaining transparent connection pinch employees.

Conclusion

Qantas is now facing a important financial punishment arsenic a consequence of its arguable outsourcing decisions during nan COVID-19 pandemic. The airline’s ineligible troubles item nan analyzable intersection of business endurance and worker rights, and nan ongoing cases could person lasting effects connected nan company’s reputation. As nan aviation manufacture moves guardant from nan pandemic, it must return statement of Qantas’ acquisition and guarantee that nan lessons learned from this saga are applied crossed nan assemblage to safeguard nan early of airline-worker relations.

Image Credit: Qantas