Australia news live: Qantas to pay $120m compensation to illegally sacked workers
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Qantas will pay $120m in compensation to more than 1,800 baggage handlers it was found to have illegally sacked in 2020, as the full cost of its controversial outsourcing decision continues to grow. On Tuesday, Qantas and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) announced they had finally reached an agreement as to the payout, following a years-long legal battle that included the airline appealing the initial decision to the full bench of the federal court and later the high court – both of which were unsuccessful.
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After losing its final appeal, the two parties spent more than a year in mediation and remedy hearings to determine how much Qantas would have to pay the outsourced workers for economic losses linked to lost wages. Qantas CEO apologises again to illegally sacked ground handlers.
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Qantas’s chief executive, Vanessa Hudson, has reiterated the airline’s “sincere apologies” to about 1,800 ground handlers it was found to have illegally sacked, after it reached an agreement to pay them $120m in compensation more than four years after outsourcing their jobs.
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In a statement, Hudson – who served as chief financial officer at the airline under former CEO Alan Joyce when the outsourcing decision was made – said reaching an agreement with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) over a compensation amount “is an important step in bringing closure” to their former employees.
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Hudson said:. I want to reiterate our sincere apologies to those impacted and their families. We know this has been a difficult period for those affected and are pleased we have been able to work closely with the TWU to expedite this process and resolve it ahead of Christmas.
