Gerald Lynch
The High Court has ruled against Qantas for its illegal outsourcing of baggage handlers and ground staff.
1700 workers were sacked at the height of the pandemic, on August 25, 2020.
After the Federal Court determined that the Fair Work Act had been breached, Qantas decided to appeal in the High Court. However, the outcome remained the same, with a unanimous decision in favour of the former workers.
This means that Qantas is responsible for the largest case of illegal sackings in Australian history.
The Transport Workers Union will now return to the Federal Court for hearings to determine the extent of compensation and penalties, with hopes to fairly compensate the 1700 families affected by their illegal dismissals, as well as an aim of a large fine to deter Qantas or another airline from committing a similar offence in the future.
Damien Pollard, whose job was illegally outsourced after years of loyal service to Qantas, let out a sigh of relief after the decision was made.
“This unanimous decision by the High Court is justification and redemption after three really hard years. There have been relationship breakdowns, people have had to sell their houses. It’s been amazing to receive the joyful calls of my colleagues over the last week,” he said.
Feelings of betrayal were commonplace among the dismissed workers, with Mr Pollard saying the losses of jobs really hurt.
“We all loved Qantas—people worked there for decades, and many of my colleagues still haven’t found jobs after being illegally outsourced. This whole situation is a perfect example of why Federal Parliament should pass the Closing the Loopholes bill, to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to other workers.”
The Closing the Loopholes bill is currently being seen in the House of Representatives, and it is proposing better regulation and protection for labour workers.
