A cloud of uncertainty hangs over Australia A’s tour of South Africa, as Cricket Australia flirts with unpaid contracts as the sport’s bitter pay conflict looks set to extend well past Friday’s deadline.
Three days before roughly 230 players become unemployed, Cricket Australia (CA) and the players’ union still sit poles apart on fundamental issues surrounding a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
With Australia A due to leave in less than two weeks, CA must soon decide how expendable the Ashes audition is.
Cricket Australia says it will honour the multi-year state deals of many squad members, but those off contract are still yet to be presented with short-term options that would allow them to tour.
One option CA might float is offering those off-contract players, such as Glenn Maxwell and Usman Khawaja, unpaid temporary tour deals.
The opportunity to play for free – with all expenses covered – could be seen as a way of keeping those players’ international aspirations afloat while also saving the under-threat trip.
But Maxwell’s manager said the allrounder was yet to receive any temporary contract offer – paid or unpaid.
The dire situation also prompted another player manager to suggest the governing body would never allow such confusion to hang over a Test tour.
A Cricket Australia spokesperson denied any decisions on Australia A tour contracts had been made, only stating it was 100 per cent focused on reaching a resolution on a new MoU by June 30.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) declined to comment on speculation about any unpaid proposal until it obtained further information.
However earlier on Tuesday, ACA president Greg Dyer suggested tour contracts might be considered should there be significant progress on negotiations.
For that to happen, the ACA expected much more from CA than it latest re-worked offer.
Last Friday, CA offered a greater share of international surpluses, included domestic players in its sharing arrangement and opted to increase annual pay rises to state players.
But the governing body refused to relent on its position that the existing revenue-sharing model was untenable, a sticking point for the players’ union.
Dyer reiterated calls for CA chief executive James Sutherland to enter the stalled negotiations that also appear set to impact August’s Test tour of Bangladesh and could, at worst, lead to the Ashes being canned.
The absence of Sutherland, currently in England at International Cricket Council meetings, has become the latest point of contention.
“It’s fair to say we still remain a long way apart,” Dyer said at an ACA charity golf day.
“The fundamentals of the deal are nowhere near resolved.
“It is extremely likely that as of July 1 we’ll be jumping over the cliff together.”
Despite CA’s commitment to paying multi-year contracts, Dyer and NSW batsman Ed Cowan dismissed them as highly questionable given they’re based on the revenue-share arrangement that remains off the table.
However Cowan said all state players, regardless of their contractual situation, would continue to train on Monday even without a new deal in place.
CA confirmed players will not be locked out of training and medical facilities once the current MoU expires, as initially reported.
davros
Guest
I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST AFRONTS by C A to the A C A ....is that there is still a perception that C A is hiding revenue and not being transparent ! So u have negotiations that have taken place and the players union is still unsure what revenue is the true figure ? Hoe can u negotite in good faith in those circumstances ...when the board refuses to realese all financial information ? also i would add that there are probably 10 k people in australia capable of administering the game as well as these clowns do now ...maybe 2 k could do it better ? But there is only one steve smith dave warner mitchel stark etc etc etc
Barry
Guest
Exactly, the game is played on the field and not in a board room full of wannabees. Greedy, arrogant bean counters that would deny millions of fans to an Aussie summer of cricket - sack them all.
Barry
Guest
So 22.5% to grassroots and what do CA do with their 55% as a governing body and NOT a corporation?
Barry
Guest
Let us all look at the ramifications of an arrogant bureaucracy gone mad. Firstly CA has already lost as the players assoc. has already developed their own merchandising company, so as of the 1st of july CA can no longer sell any player branded merchandise as those players no longer have a contract ans as such CA no longer has any rights. Secondly, the sheer arrogance of CA to put the Australian public to blackmail in regards to our summer of cricket is nothing short of horrendous. An Australia v England 5 series test with all the dollars associated with it held to ransom by Sutherland and co is ridiculous. Not just the series as a sporting event but the dollars associated with it all, the Barmy Army travelling the country, the interstate travellers, the people employed at the grounds, this is a cost to the nation and god forbid I have to say this but the politicians should step in and demand a fix. An Aussie summer of cricket is worth millions of dollars to this country, to many business large and small and for a handful of stubborn, arrogant, overpaid bean counters to hold players, fans and the country to ransom is a joke. The ACCC should step in and place CA under admin. til such times as a third party independent body can work out a compromise.
davros
Guest
I hope ACA have retained the services of mr Greg Combet ...he knows how to deal with the corporate pond scum such as ex Rio Tinto union buster boss David Peever and a couple of others of his ilk ..who are obviously driving the whole process Its the standard Rio Tinto playbook ideology ...play hardball screw the workforce down as low as they can get away with, try and split the workforce with underhand dodgy deals... going behind the players unions back ....then vote themselves massive pay rises trousering as much as they can and making off with hatfuls of dough . It would be nice to see some transparency from the board as to what the renumeration lurks and perks are atm ...and what they will be in the near future under this leadership ..but i wouldnt hold my breath waiting !
George
Guest
Teflon $utherland has been a joke for about 10 years.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
The goose is getting mighty nervous. This is nuts. Do they still have the Court of Arbitration? Maybe time someone stepped in?
spruce moose
Guest
"The opportunity to play for free – with all expenses covered – could be seen as a way of keeping those players’ international aspirations afloat while also saving the under-threat trip." That's disgusting by CA. The five players who that has been offered to are being blackmailed into crossing the picket line.
Rellum
Roar Guru
CA have offered certain players improved contracts (more money). They turned those down to remain together to get the revenue sharing model to stay The players want the model to stay with a split of 55% to CA, 22.5% to grassroots and 22.5% to the players if I remember correctly but from what I understand they are very open to negotiation on those numbers. Also as I understand it that 22.5% to grassroots is more than what is currently going there.
jameswm
Roar Guru
What a mess. The whole CA Board needs to go if they can't sort this out. The international game in our country is on its knees, and Teflon Sutherland is nowhere to be seen. So what is the dispute? It's over the revenue-shyaring model, I get that. But: - what IS the current revenue sharing model? The players get x% of CA's total income? What is x? - what are CA proposing? - are the players just looking for the status quo to remain? - are CA really proposing that players must not play IPL or the other big earner tournaments? - Am I missing something, or are CA asking the cricketers to take a significant overall pay reduction with the new deal?
Wayne
Roar Guru
So the governing body wants more money for their pockets and the players aren't budging? Players are willing to miss an A tour (which does bugger all for selection into main squad) and a Bangladesh tour (which is a lose-lose for them. They either beat someone they are suppose to beat (rankings wise), or lose overseas again)