Sacked pilots win case against Cathay Radio Television Hong Kong online

11-11-2009
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/eng...1112&56&626052

and
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_d...724&con_type=1

Airline loses court case.


The High Court has ruled that Cathay Pacific wrongly and unfairly dismissed 18 pilots in 2001 following industrial action. The airline has been ordered to pay more than HK$3.4 million to each pilot for sacking them and making defamatory remarks. The pilots were fired just a few days after the aircrew union they belonged to threatened industrial action over rostering and benefits. Cathay had argued that the dismissals were based only on the pilots' frequent sick leave and their negative attitude towards the company. But Mr Justice Reyes rejected this claim. He said the move was apparently an attempt to forestall the union action. The judge also ruled that the airline had defamed the pilots, by calling them unprofessional, and accusing them of "holding Hong Kong to ransom" and having "seriously disrupted Cathay's operations".