Aussie union warns others after Qantas gets hefty fine

Flush with cash after an unprecedented legal victory over Qantas Airways, union boss Michael Kaine is warning other big businesses: Break Australia's employment laws at your peril.

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SYDNEY -

The Federal Court of Australia on Aug 18 fined Qantas A$90 million (S$74.5 million), a record penalty for workplace wrongdoing, for illegally sacking almost 2,000 ground workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. More than half - A$50 million - was awarded to the Transport Workers' Union (TWU), with the presiding judge encouraging it and other unions to act as enforcers of industrial relations legislation.

Mr Kaine, the TWU national secretary, said he is now better funded and ready to take up Justice Michael Lee's challenge. Corporations in his crosshairs include those that abuse workers' rights, turn a blind eye to underpaying wages, or do not have adequate payroll systems in place.

"They should be on notice," Mr Kaine, 56, said. "We will now have some more resources to deploy."