Qantas CEO ordered to mediate with TWU over sackings

The news: Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson has been ordered by the Federal Court to attend mediation with the Transport Workers' Union.

The numbers: Last week, the High Court found the airline had illegally sacked almost 1700 workers. Qantas outsourced the ground workers' jobs in 2020 while losing billions of dollars as the pandemic decimated aviation.

The company posted an underlying profit of almost $2.5 billion for the 2022/23 financial year, almost as much as the $2.7 billion in government subsidies it received during the pandemic. The airline also faces action by the consumer watchdog seeking a $250 million fine, alleging it sold customers tickets on flights it had already cancelled.

The context: The High Court's unanimous judgment found the airline had erred in the sackings in a victory for the union movement. Justice Michael Lee made orders in the Federal Court on Wednesday to move the matter towards resolution. Hudson will need to attend, as will Transport Workers' Union national secretary Michael Kaine, when the parties meet to discuss compensation. Qantas' barrister Richard Dalton KC had asked to send the company's in-house general counsel Andrew Finch in Hudson's place when mediation occurs.

What they said: "I want the CEO and the person leading the union there," Justice Lee said.