Qantas fined $90m for illegally sacking staff during COVID-19 pandemic | ABC NEWS

A Federal Court judge has slapped Qantas with a $90 million fine for illegally dismissing 1,800 ground staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justice Michael Lee criticised the Flying Kangaroo’s response to criticism and litigation over the matter as the ‘wrong kind of sorry’, citing a lack of ‘genuine remorse’ and former CEO Alan Joyce’s failure to testify.
The judge ordered Qantas to pay $50 million of the penalty to the Transport Workers Union and suggested a portion of that amount should be paid to the affected employees.
Industrial relations lawyer Dan Trindade says the hefty costs of the legal saga, which amount to half of the total savings from the layoffs, aim to deter future industrial misconduct by the flag carriers and other employers.

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