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The bitter pay dispute between Football Federation Australia (FFA) and the players union appears close to resolution after Australia’s women’s soccer team committed to a tour of China later this month.
The Matildas went on strike in September and skipped a planned tour of the United States as the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) pushed for a new collective bargaining agreement.
On Friday, the FFA announced the Matildas would tour China – where they’ll play games against the home team and England between October 23-27 – after an interim deal was accepted by the PFA.
The matches form part of the team’s preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The FFA said the PFA accepted a similar deal to the one they rejected last month.
“The agreement is on the same basis as was previously offered before the Matildas tour of the USA was cancelled in early September,” the FFA said in a statement.
Media reports this week pointed to the ugly pay war being all but over, with FFA and the PFA understood to have completed the formal negotiation process.
The last remaining hurdle is for Socceroos, Matildas and A-League players to approve the new deal.
It’s hoped that next Thursday’s A-League season opener between Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar will go ahead without any industrial action.
“The PFA has advised FFA it is in the process of putting the terms for the Whole of Game CBA to its members,” Friday’s statement from FFA added.
The Matildas stand to be the biggest beneficiaries of the new CBA, with the new deal set to make them full-time professional players for the first time.
According to reports, the Matildas have been offered a two-tiered deal with a minimum wage of $34,000, an increase from the current salary of $21,000.
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