Unions for 20,000 Qantas workers on stand-down orders amid the coronavirus pandemic have asked the High Court to overturn a ruling that they are not entitled to access paid sick or compassionate leave.
The Transport Workers’ Union has amended its case against Qantas challenging a decision to outsource 2,000 jobs, after a Federal Court judge urged the union to consider narrowing the lawsuit against the airline.
The terms of the Fair Work Act do not guarantee employees of Qantas or potentially any workers in Australia the right to entitlements such as annual leave for work done while receiving JobKeeper payments, the Full Federal Court has ruled.
Qantas has been hit with a test case to determine whether axing 2,000 ground staff and replacing them with “insecure” labour hire workers is unlawful.
Qantas workers on stand-down orders during the coronavirus pandemic have lost an appeal to overturn a ruling that they are not entitled to access paid sick or compassionate leave.
A judge has declined to throw out a lawsuit brought against Qantas by a self-represented worker who was stood down, saying a “liberal and lenient” approach was needed.
A 59-year-old Qantas engineer who used his company-issued iPad to view pornographic material while at work has lost his unfair dismissal appeal.
Aircraft engineers for Qantas are challenging a ruling that the airline had no “genuine choice” when it stood them down in March during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qantas Airways will challenge a court’s finding that it incorrectly applied the JobKeeper scheme and underpaid its staff.
Qantas has praised a Federal Court judgment ruling that the airline had no “genuine choice” other than standing down its workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the judgment was a “victory for common sense”.