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A Qantas worker has received compensation from the airline after he was sacked for raising safety concerns at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Theo Seremetidis, a trained health and safety representative, was stood down and isolated from colleagues by Qantas in February 2020.
Qantas’ actions towards Seremetidis came hours after he ordered others to stop cleaning and servicing planes as he was concerned about the spread of Covid-19.
Seremetidis’ directive came a day after Australia closed its borders to direct flights from China.
Qantas has since agreed to pay compensation after the airline was found guilty last year of breaching workplace health and safety laws.
Theo Seremetidis (pictured) has been stood down from Qantas and isolated from other employees. They didn’t even allow him to go to the staff room to fill his water bottle.
The trained health and safety representative had told staff not to clean or repair aircraft for fear of the spread of COVID in February 2020.
At a NSW District Court hearing on Wednesday, Qantas agreed to pay $6,000 for Mr Seremetidis’ financial loss, as well as $15,000 for “damage and humiliation”.
However, the court is yet to determine the full liability of the national airline for fines, compensation and costs.
Mr. Seremetidis’ case is the first in which a major airline faces criminal prosecution for violations of workplace safety rules.
At the time, the Qantas worker told staff not to clean planes under Section 85 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, which gives employees the right to stop unsafe work.
The court heard the decision for Mr Seremetidis to resign was passed down to the “upper echelons” of Qantas Ground Services, as well as parent company Qantas.
“They were all in important positions of power over Mr. Seremetidis,” said prosecutor Matthew Moir.
Moir said Qantas prioritized its commercial and operational interests over the health and safety of its workers.
Seremetidis (pictured with TWU branch deputy secretary Marija Marsic) has been awarded $6,000 for financial losses from Qantas, as well as $15,000 for “pain and humiliation”.
When Mr Seremetidis was stood down he was immediately isolated from other staff and told he could not even leave to refill his water bottle in the staff canteen, the court heard.
“He was taken from the workplace and not allowed to return,” Mr Moir said.
Qantas subsequently sent a letter setting out several reasons why it had suspended the health and safety representative from his role.
However, Judge David Russell said in his November decision that the letter was a failed attempt to find more reasons to support the airline’s conduct.
“I have found that the reason QGS engaged in discriminatory conduct towards Mr Seremetidis was because he exercised power or performed a role as a health and safety representative,” he said.
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