SYDNEY, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Australia's flag carrier and largest airline Qantas will be forced to pay significant compensation to 1,700 employees who were illegally fired by the airline during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Court in Sydney ruled on Monday.
According to the ruling, Qantas would be required to pay 1,700 former ground crew employees varying degrees of compensation.
Justice Michael Lee ordered that three "test case" workers would be awarded a combined 170,000 Australian dollars (114,173.2 U.S. dollars) in compensation.
"I consider that the amounts of compensation for non-economic loss reflect the harm sustained by each of the three individuals in a way that is appropriate, just and rational," he said.
Lawyers from Qantas and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) will be required to enter mediation to determine a final compensation figure for the remaining affected workers.
The compensation will be capped at approximately 12 months' pay for the workers.
Nick McIntosh, the TWU assistant secretary, told reporters outside court that the union expects the total compensation to exceed 100 million Australian dollars (67.1 million U.S. dollars).
The High Court found in 2023 that Qantas broke the law when it terminated 1,700 jobs at 10 airports in November 2020.
In a statement issued after Monday's ruling, Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson apologized to the former employees.
It comes after the Federal Court earlier in October approved a 120 million Australian dollars (80.5 million U.S. dollars) fine for Qantas for selling thousands of tickets for flights that had already been canceled. ■
