Qantas and the Transport Workers Union both lost their appeals Wednesday of a judge’s decision finding the airline had decided to axe 1,800 ground staff partly to prevent employees bringing industrial action but refusing to reinstate the workers. The airline has vowed to take the case to the High Court.
Fair Work Commissioner Nick Wilson has dismissed a recusal bid by nine former Virgin employees who argued his frequent flyer membership with the airline meant he was unable to hear their cases.
A former chief pilot at Virgin Australia has filed a lawsuit claiming the airline sacked him after he made complaints and filed Fair Work Commission proceedings alleging Virgin’s chief executive officer repeatedly bullied and harassed him.
The ACCC has ended its three-year investigation into Qantas Airways’ 19.9 per cent stake in ‘fly in fly out’ airline Alliance Aviation without enforcement action.
A Qantas safety instructor who was fired for allegedly staring at a female employee’s chest during a training session will get his job back after the Fair Work Commission found the dismissal was unfair because it was based on unsubstantiated allegations.
US bank Wells Fargo and Florida-based aviation leasing company Willis Lease Finance will have to pay $500,000 for the relocation of leased aircraft engines to Virgin after losing a High Court bid to have the airline foot the bill.
The High Court has ruled that the “direct and far-reaching ramifications” of a contract between the federal government and Tasmania’s two major airports justifies an order for declaratory relief sought by local councils about the obligation of the airports’ operators to pay rates.
Qantas has been ordered to pay $9.5 million in unpaid fees after the Western Australia Supreme Court resolved a dispute over the “fair and reasonable” amount owed for terminal services provided for the airline’s domestic and international flights.
A decision by Qantas to outsource its ground staff was not timed to head off industrial action by the Transport Workers’ Union, the Full Federal Court has heard as the airline seeks to overturn a finding that it engaged in adverse action when it terminated around 1,800 employees last year.
A judge has dismissed an urgent application to block Qantas from taking disciplinary action against unvaccinated employees, but the airline has committed to extending their leave with pay until a challenge to its COVID-19 vaccination policy can be heard.