Qantas Found Guilty of Standing Down Worker Who Raised COVID-19, China Concerns

Seremetidis was a health and safety representative who directed coworkers not to service flights from China over COVID-19 concerns.

A general view of the Qantas training campus is seen in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 25, 2022. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

A New South Wales (NSW) court has ruled flag carrier Qantas guilty of illegally standing down a ground staff member for raising concerns about COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic.

The lawsuit was brought by SafeWork NSW, which represented Theo Seremetidis, a high-lift truck driver employed by Qantas Ground Services Pty Ltd (QGS)–a subsidiary of Qantas.