A warning sign preceded Qantas’ illegal termination of 1700 staff.

Court proceedings revealed that troubled airline Qantas had discussed the possibility of outsourcing ground services positions two years before its unlawful termination of 1700 staff members in favor of contractors. In 2021, the Federal Court declared Qantas’s actions illegal, as the airline had dismissed the ground services employees a year earlier and subcontracted their responsibilities. Despite Qantas’s efforts to overturn the ruling, it was unsuccessful, leading to ongoing disputes with the Transport Workers Union regarding compensation for former employees. During recent proceedings, TWU barrister Mark Gibian SC highlighted internal documents indicating Qantas’s contemplation of outsourcing ground services roles as early as 2018.