Australia’s largest airline, Qantas, has been slapped with a record-breaking fine for illegal COVID-19 pandemic layoffs.
According to BBC, an Australian court on Monday, August 18, ordered Qantas to pay a record A$90m (£43m; $59m) fine for illegally sacking workers during the pandemic.
It is the largest financial penalty ever issued to an Australian company under the Fair Work Act, which outlines employees' and workers' rules.
The biggest airline of Australia laid off more than 1,800 ground workers during COVID-19.
The largest fine ever imposed by an Australian court for violating industrial relations law was welcomed by the Transport Workers' Union.
Noting the record fine, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee stated in the judgement that he wanted the penalty to serve as a "real deterrence" to other employers.
Qantas accepted that fine and acknowledged that their actions caused “serious harm.”
Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said, “We sincerely apologise to each and every one of the 1,820 ground handling employees and to their families who suffered as a result. The decision to outsource five years ago, particularly during such an uncertain time, caused genuine hardship for many of our former team and their families."
For the unversed, the senior management of the airlines during the 2020 pandemic laid off 1,820 ground staff, calling it a commercial decision.
However, the Federal Court ruled in 2021 and declared the move as “adverse action” that prevented employees from using their workplace rights, breaching Australia's Fair Work Act.
