Qantas | Airline illegally fired 1,700 employees during pandemic - court rules

Qantas Airways broke the law by sacking 1,700 ground staff and replacing them with contractors early in the COVID-19 pandemic - a top court has ruled - reinvigorating public criticism of a company already facing multiple scandals.

As reported by Reuters, the High Court of Australia said Qantas had commercial reasons for its actions in 2020 - the height of pandemic-driven border closures - but broke industrial law because it "sought to thwart" the unionised employees' rights to engage in industrial action and collectively bargain.

The ruling builds on a sense of public fury towards the flagship carrier that culminated in the early retirement of its long-serving CEO this month following an antitrust lawsuit accusing the airline of selling tickets to thousands of flights after they were cancelled.

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The company has also been accused of pressuring the federal government, successfully, to deny a Qatar Airways request to sell more flights to Australia, removing competition that might have lowered fares.