Cricket Australia disappointed with pay negotiations deadlock – Cricket News Update
Chief Executive of Cricket http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Alexander-Sutherland-c65430, has spoken out against the response of the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) to the new pay deal, saying the players union’s stance has left him “surprised and a little bit disappointed”.
With the contracts of Australian players due to expire at the end of this month, on June 30, preparations for a new 5-year deal have been underway, but negotiations over the amount have reached a deadlock.
The ACA has refused to accept the figures the CA have put on the table, maintaining that the board’s new definition of revenue implies that over the next five years, the governing body will be withholding up to 30 million Australian dollars ($29.5 million) from the players. The current deal, which is due to expire on June 30, grants players 26 per cent of the CA’s cricket revenue.
However, clarifying the board’s stance, Sutherland explained that the reworked definition of revenue was based on a performance-based system, which focused on “accountability for performance”. This would imply that the amount players are paid will fluctuate in terms of how well or poorly they perform. For example, “the players wouldn't get the same amount of money for losing 4-0 as they would winning 4-0”. Similarly, they will get more for winning against teams with higher rankings, and less for defeating lower-ranked teams.
“We have put a very substantial offer on the table,” Sutherland argued. “It's in the vicinity of $80 million more over a five-year period than what we paid in the preceding five-year period.
“And $80 million is a lot of money and that is based on our conservative revenue projections. If we go halfway towards meeting our more optimistic ambitions with revenue growth, that increase in player payments will be even more significant than $80 million.”
However, the CA’s arguments have failed to move the ACA, and as the June 30 deadline looms, the players’ union chief http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Paul-Marsh-c81144 has announced that while the players are looking for a resolution to the issue, they have not ruled out the possibility of going on strike if their demands are not met.
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