One bad boss is all it takes. A man-in-a-suit, with an adversarial approach to labour relations, a Friedmanist focus on shareholder returns, and no respect for what was arguably the world’s greatest airline, has left behind a corporate plane wreck. It’s the Aussie answer to Boeing.
“Qantas fined $98 million for illegally sacking staff.
…what has been dubbed the largest case of illegal sackings in the country’s history.
Qantas outsourced more than 1800 baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff in 2020, in a move the Federal Court ruled was designed to curb union bargaining power in wage negotiations.
“To deprive someone of work illegally is to deprive someone of an aspect of their human dignity, and this is not assuaged simply by expressions of regret,” Justice Lee said.
He was scathing about the embattled airline’s conduct after the outsourcing, pointing to efforts to place a “less than candid” picture of the outsourcing decision before the court.
He noted Qantas had apologised publicly but then had attempted to deny any compensation payments to the affected workers.
Qantas will have to pay the hefty bill on top of a AU$120 million (NZ$131.7 million) compensation payment it has made to the affected ground staff for their economic loss, pain and suffering following the outsourcing.
However, Justice Lee said he didn’t have enough evidence to be convinced those payments would be made.
The court was told the scandal-plagued airline began to finally accept responsibility for its actions in 2023, Justice Lee noted, which coincided with the departure of former CEO Alan Joyce”
Joyce wasn’t an outsider. He worked in aviation for decades, and had been at Qantas for some years before getting the CEO job. But the professionalism, the esprit de corps, the pride and history that characterised Qantas apparently meant nothing. It was the staff that made Qantas what it was and he treated them as a cost centre.