Alan Joyce

The High Court is hearing an appeal by Qantas that it did not unfairly sack baggage handlers, under the Fair Work, and outsource their jobs during the pandemic. Jim McIlroy reports.   

The Federal Court has ruled that Qantas unfairly sacked and outsourced thousands of baggage handlers, ramp workers and cabin cleaners late last year, using the pandemic as the excuse. Jim McIlroy reports.

After unilaterally locking out the Qantas workforce in October, grounding the fleet and leaving workers and travellers stranded, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has been handed a positive outcome by the federal government’s Fair Work Australia (FWA). Joyce’s lockout resulted on October 30 in FWA terminating the legal, protected industrial action that Qantas unions had voted for, rewarding Joyce’s industrial sabotage.