Members reject increased dues to fund legal action, reversing earlier 'no' vote on airline's settlement
Cathay Pacific pilots have done a U-turn and voted to accept an offer of 10-month payouts or job interviews for the group of sacked pilots known as the 49ers.
With weeks to go before the airline's May 16 deadline for the withdrawal of the offer, the Aircrew Officers Association voted to accept it - after narrowly rejecting it at a meeting two months ago.
The vote, taken at an extraordinary meeting of the union, effectively ends one of the longest disputes in world aviation.
The 49ers were dismissed by Cathay during a bitter 2001 dispute over pay and rosters, and have been supported by union members for the 31/2 years since.
The union, which backed the Cathay offer, warned members after the 'no' vote in February that they faced a 'very real membership crisis' if they continued to pay for costly court cases over the sackings.