Lesley Yeomans: Australian Correspondent on Qantas being fined $90 million for illegally firing workers

Former Qantas workers are claiming victory over its $90 million fine for illegally sacking more than 1800 workers.  

The court's found outsourcing baggage handlers, cleaners, and ground staff in 2020 was done to curb union bargaining powers.  

Qantas says this judgment holds them accountable. 

Australian Correspondent Lesley Yeomans told Ryan Bridge $50 million of the fine will be going to the Transport Workers Union, and what happens with the other $40 million will be decided at a later date. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Leslie omen with us from Australia. Good morning, good to
have you on the program. As always, thank you. Quantas
to face a pretty hefty fine. This is for outsourcing
ground staff.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
This long running dispute, very long running, yes, massive fine.
Said to be the largest case of illegal sackings in
Australia's history. Just to give you a small background, back
in twenty twenty, during the COVID pandemic, Quantus made the
decision to outsource its ground handling staff, which included baggage
handlers and cleaners and the like. Now then come forward

(00:35):
a little bit and the Transport Workers Union decided that
they would take Quantus to court and sue them for
that illegal sacking. So that's what happened, and earlier this
year Quantus was found guilty of the illegal sacking of
all those workers. Now come to yesterday and the Federal
Court has decided that Quantus will be fined ninety million

(00:59):
dollars for those illegal sackings and fifty million of that
will be going to the Transport Workers' Union for the workers.
Well that's what Justice Michael Lee has suggested happen, and
the other forty million will be to sell what happens
with the other forty million will be decided at a
later date.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
This shark Atteck now the beach closed. Another shark aitek
New South Wales.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yes, the second one in the roughly a month. What
happened was yesterday morning early Brad Ross was out serving
at Capareita Beach. It's a beach between Tweedheads and Byron
Bay and northern New South Wales and Brad found that
he had an unwanted visitor and that unwanted visitor was

(01:43):
a large great white shark, probably about four meters and
it decided that it took a liking to his board
and chomped it in half, left a massive bitemark out
of the board which was now in two. And unfortunately
he wasn't hurt. He was able to get back back
to shore. But his border is a lot, a lot aware.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Thank goodness, Thank goodness, Leslie, thank goodness he is okay.
I did see his borden you run, there's a giant
chunk out of it. I wouldn't be getting back in
the water. Thanks for that update, Lesslie, Omen's Australia correspondent.
For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
to news talks.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
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