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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Catie McLeod Consumer affairs reporter

Qantas fined $90m for illegally sacking ground staff as judge describes airline as ‘the wrong kind of sorry’

Qantas baggage handlers at work
The fine wraps up a five-year legal battle after Qantas fired 1,820 baggage handlers and other ground staff in 2020 during Covid lockdowns. Photograph: Mark Baker/AP

Qantas has been fined a record $90m for illegally firing 1,820 baggage handlers and other ground staff in 2020, taking the cost of its controversial outsourcing decision to more than $200m.

Justice Michael Lee on Monday handed down his decision on the penalty, nine months after Qantas and the Transport Workers’ Union agreed the airline would pay $120m in compensation to the sacked workers.

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