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

Lawyer for Transport Workers’ Union calls record penalty the ‘darkest day’ in airline’s 105-year history

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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.