Mothers take Virgin Blue to court for discrimination

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Two former Virgin Blue executives who are trying to win back jobs they lost when they became mothers will have their discrimination cases heard together.

Sponsorship specialist Kirsty Aitken and public affairs officer Leonie Vandeven, both in their early 30s, have taken court action alleging they were discriminated against after confirming they were pregnant or returning from maternity leave.

The women had worked together as part of the airline's public relations team until mid-2010 when they were told their positions were no longer required.

Aitken and Vandeven claim their positions were immediately re-filled after they were forced to take redundancies.

In the Federal Magistrates Court in Brisbane yesterday, lawyers for Virgin Blue and for the former employees agreed that the two cases should be heard together. Both sides also agreed to exchange documents defining the relevant issues before the matter comes back before the court in June.

It's expected the magistrate will then either set a trial date or order that the parties undergo mediation.

Terri Butler, who is representing Aitken and Vandeven, said outside court that her clients had already undergone a conciliation process with Virgin Blue. But, she said, they would not rule out further mediation. She said both her clients, who were not in court yesterday, were in financial difficulty and wanted reinstatement.

They also wanted to see penalties imposed on Virgin Blue for alleged breaches of numerous sections of the Fair Work Act. The maximum penalty for breaching the act is A$33,000 ($45,000).

- AAP