Los Angeles: Striking Hollywood screenwriters overwhelmingly approved an end to their 14-week-old strike, ending one of the worst labour disputes in the history of the US movie and television industry.

The back-to-work order was approved by 92.5 percent of the 3,775 members of Writers Guild of America Tuesday night who cast ballots in Los Angeles and New York two days after union leaders voted unanimously to endorse their contract settlement with the studios.

Union writers went on strike in November 2007. Their main demand was for a share of revenues when their work was distributed over the Internet. They claimed victory in negotiations over the weekend when the major studios agreed to pay them two percent of revenues starting in two years.

The vote paves the way for their return to work Wednesday. The strike severely disrupted the US television industry, forcing the cancellation of new episodes of hit shows like "24", "Desperate Housewives" and many others. Cessation of the strike means that the Oscars ceremony set for Feb 24 will go ahead without disruption.