Qantas loses court battle against TWU over outsourcing 2K jobs
Australian airlines Qantas Airways Limited has lost a legal challenge against the Transport Workers Union (TWU) in the Federal Court today after the airline decided to outsource 2,000 ground crew jobs last year.
According to a report by ABC, Justice Michael Lee has decided in favor of TWU because he was not convinced that the airline’s decision was “entirely motivated by commercial necessity” and not by the union membership of the affected employees.
TWU has declared the win a “watershed moment” for the aviation industry as outsourced roles were said to include baggage handlers, ramp workers, and cabin cleaners in airports across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Alice Springs, and Canberra.
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said in a previous statement that “Qantas has left the vast majority of its outsourced ground staff desperate for their jobs back”.
