<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>331449</docID> <postdate>2024-10-21 10:50:14</postdate> <headline>Qantas to face hefty bill after unlawful staff lay-offs</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-331450" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20201211001508081050-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="574" /></p> <caption>Qantas unlawfully retrenched almost 1700 ground staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Miklos Bolza</strong> in Sydney</span></p> <p><strong>Qantas workers retrenched during the COVID-19 pandemic are one step closer to receiving significant compensation for the unlawful activities of the national airline.</strong></p> <p>The Transport Workers' Union has pursued Qantas in the Federal Court after the company decided to outsource almost 1700 ground staff jobs in November 2020.</p> <p>After redundancies commenced, these employees were eventually all jettisoned out of the airline by March 2021.</p> <p>On Monday, Justice Michael Lee ordered Qantas pay $170,000 to three employees who were used as test cases during a lengthy hearing in March and May.</p> <p>In July 2021, the judge found the lay-offs were designed to deprive workers of being able to bargain for a new enterprise agreement and, as such, contravened employment law.</p> <p>The amounts these workers receive is hoped to form the basis for the total amount that Qantas agrees to pay the affected staff in future negotiations with the TWU.</p> <p>Justice Lee found that the workers would have been retrenched by late 2021 anyway given that the airline "laser-like" focus on cutting costs without regard for its employees.</p> <p>The matter will return to court on November 15, when the judge will hear submissions about the total compensation sum payable by Qantas.</p> <p>The TWU is also seeking penalties against the airline.</p> <p>In December 2021, Justice Lee rejected a bid by the union to have the workers reinstated at Qantas after finding that proposal was impractical.</p> <p>The judge's findings that the terminations were unlawful were unsuccessfully appealed by Qantas in the Full Federal Court and High Court.</p> </body>