$10.8m gambit sparks fresh twist in A-Leagues pay row
George Clarke |
The stalemate over the rollout of a new pay deal for the A-Leagues has taken a fresh turn with the competition’s bosses publicly declaring their intention to re-open negotiations in a bid to stave off the threat of industrial action.
AAP revealed last month players had unanimously voted down the last two offers put forward by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) after the previous collective bargaining agreement (CBA) lapsed on June 30.
The expiry of the previous deal – and the failure to strike a new agreement – meant A-League Men and A-League Women players had the option to exercise their right to industrial action, which was not permitted with an active CBA in place.
The APL has been locked in discussions for the better part of the year with the Professional Footballers Australia, led by CEO Beau Busch, representing the players.
But the APL said on Wednesday it was determined to resolve the A-Leagues pay dispute, offering to boost the ALW salary cap from $640,000 per club to $900,000 and offer a roadmap towards full-time professionalism.
The APL claimed in a statement 52 of the 53 terms of the CBA had been agreed in principle with the sole sticking point understood to be the ALW cap.
“We’ve been committed to this process in good faith since discussions with the PFA commenced around eight months ago,” said APL chief executive Steve Rosich.
“Indeed, at the outset, we sought to pursue a multi-year framework and subsequently agreed to the PFA’s request for a one-year collective agreement.
“Our updated proposal underlines a real and genuine intent on the APL’s part to arrive at an outcome that both meets the near-term priorities in a responsible and viable way, and to turn our focus with the PFA on building meaningful and sustainable growth that will be good for everyone involved in the professional game.”
The fresh attempt to strike a deal, communicated by the APL on Wednesday, contained no suggestion of vast alterations to the ALM salary cap or the number of allocations for marquee player contracts.
Marquee deals sit outside the salary cap of $2.6m.
The APL has promised as part of the new proposed one-year CBA to invite players to have a say in the league’s direction.
“We recognise that players are fundamental to our leagues, its performance and our growth,” Rosich said.
“Equally, our clubs understand their responsibility as employers of players across the ALW and ALM, as well as coaching staff and other on and off-field resources who contribute to the success of our A-Leagues competitions.”
AAP