Qantas has been ordered to pay $250,000 in penalties over unlawfully standing down a health and safety worker who raised concerns about cleaning aircraft from China at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former ground crew employee and health and safety representative Theo Seremetidis was vindicated in November after the NSW District Court found Qantas had breached part six of the Work, Health and Safety Act, and had discriminated against him when he was stood down in February 2020.
The NSW District Court found Qantas had behaved unlawfully when it stood down former health and safety representative Theo Seremetidis.Credit: Wolter Peters
On Wednesday, District Court Judge David Russell ordered Qantas to pay a $250,000 fine, with half of this penalty going to the prosecutor, SafeWork NSW.
The SafeWork case, originally prompted by a complaint from the Transport Workers Union on behalf of Seremetidis, marked the first time uniform work health and safety laws have been tested in a criminal court.
“The conduct against Seremetidis was quite shameful,” Judge Russell said. “Even when he was stood down and under investigation, [Qantas Ground Services] attempted to manufacture additional reasons for its actions.”
Loading
Judge Russell upheld one of the three charges brought in November and said the company “actively sidelined” Seremetidis by cutting him off from staff, standing him down and barring him from the airport.
Last week, the airline group agreed to pay Seremetidis $21,000 in damages. The $250,000 penalty issued on Wednesday comes on top of this amount.
Qantas launched an investigation into Seremetidis’ conduct soon after standing him down. He never returned to his role because he was one of 1700 ground staff whose jobs were outsourced one month later.
Source Agencies
