Hong's Court of Appeal on Friday ruled that 18 pilots sacked by Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd were not unfairly dismissed, and drastically reduced their million-dollar compensation, according to dpa. The ruling overturned a 2009 decision by the High Court that the dismissals, which took place amid acrimonious industrial relations, had been unfair and related to the pilots membership of their union. It also condemned as "excessive" the previous High Court order that Cathay should pay each pilot 3.3 million Hong Kong dollars (400,000 US dollars) for defamation, and reduced the payments to 700,000 Hong Kong dollars per pilot. Friday's ruling also cancelled the pilots' 150,000-Hong Kong-dollar compensation awards, ordered by the High Court. The 18 were among 49 pilots dismissed by the airline in 2001 after their union declared a work-to-rule action in a dispute over pay and rosters. But the Court of Appeal ruled that the procedure for their dismissal had been properly followed, including wage compensation in lieu of notice, local media said. All parties can now appeal to Hong Kong's highest court, the Court of Final Appeal.
