The Ashes 2017

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Didley Squat

Didley Squat

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2012
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Ladies and gentlemen,
Just an update on the nitty gritty between Cricket Australia and the previously contracted players.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket...s-with-players-fall-over-20170721-gxg9k9.html





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Cricket's pay dispute explained
Australia's cricketers are effectively unemployed after failing to reach an agreement with the sport's governing body.

Players were set to be advised over the weekend why their fight must continue.

Cricket Australia said on Friday it was shocked by the ACA's claim and had not been formally notified of this position. CA said discussions were progressing, with CA chief James Sutherland and counterpart Alistair Nicholson in telephone and email contact on Friday. CA says it had sent the ACA an agenda for when negotiations reopened in a neutral venue on Monday.

Players have been paid from gross revenue since the original memorandum of understanding was brokered in 1997 but the players say they have offered a "modernised revenue scheme" to CA which had the ability to keep both parties happy.

The fight over how much money should be directed to grassroots cricket also continues. CA says it needs more than $200 million over the next five years to help develop the game, support local clubs and deal with the threats from other sports. Players are willing to tip a "significant contribution" due to them into grassroots cricket but major stumbling blocks around the overall plan remain.

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As revealed by Fairfax Media on Wednesday, the discussions between the two parties were not progressing at an encouraging rate, despite claims they had been on a "steady" track.

This means next month's Test tour of Bangladesh remains in doubt. The Australia A tour of South Africa this month had already been canned.

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At stake is how almost $450 million of money owed to the players is split up.

More than 200 players, including Test stars, have been unemployed for three weeks now, saving CA almost $2 million in wages. This money will be redirected to grassroots cricket.

The Southern Stars are also now unemployed, for their women's World Cup campaign is over. However, several players will link up with the Twenty20 tournament in England.

Players on Friday night said they were united in their fight to remain a "partner" in the sport, and not just an employee.

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As previously mentioned ............ The Barmy Army are already looking towards bankruptcy if the tour doesn't proceed.

One can only hope that common sense prevails.
However, don't be so sure it will.
 
I keep thinking they can't ruin the ashes and surely the players will want to play in it but as it gets closer I'm getting more nervous! Got tickets for the first test so I'll be especially gutted as it's been a lifelong dream to get over for one!
 
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Further update ......

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Explosive email in pay dispute warns Ashes series under threat

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    The complex MOU is likely to be 700-page document. The players remain frustrated at CA's response to what has been a "terms sheet" the ACA had developed during discussions with CA over the past fortnight. CA is said to have provided a "marked up" response via email on Thursday, questioning, if not rejecting, the players' revenue-model scheme and adjustment ledger and grassroots plans.

    Players had thought the two parties had reached common ground since Sutherland finally joined negotiations a fortnight ago after much hankering from the ACA. Discussions had largely been left in the hands of experienced administrator Kevin Roberts.

    CA, however, has claimed the ACA's terms sheet has suggested players are paid more and less money should go to grassroots. The ACA rejected that claim when contacted by Fairfax Media.

    CA officials are of the belief the ACA had thought CA would ignore the terms sheet and cease talks; instead CA said it would immediately debate the upgraded plans with the ACA. When CA began to point out what it claims were errors in thinking, the ACA is said to have lost patience.

    "Contrary to this progress and ACA's attempts to resolve the dispute, on Thursday night the ACA received draft legal wording removing any reference to 'revenue share' in a proposed new Article 5 of the next MOU," Nicholson said.

    "This was unexpected. It has setback negotiations and thwarted the prospects of agreement. The ACA will seek clarification on this as a matter of priority, as it seems to ignore a number of our proposed solutions in the terms sheet."

    Players have been paid from a gross revenue scheme since 1997; CA wants this to change to a set pool of money with a share in surplus funds. At stake in the new deal is about $450 million of payments due to players over the next five years.

    Nicholson said the players had offered to modernise the revenue scheme and would contribute $30 million to grassroots and club cricket.

    "We therefore offered a modernised model including the making of substantial concessions by the players in good faith. Namely, that players would accept a formal mechanism for redistributing amounts of revenue from the players to grassroots cricket via a new Players Grassroots Investment Fund (PGIF)," he said.

    "Dependent on the achievement of revenue forecasts, we have proposed that this would be approximately $30 million injection from all male, female, international and domestic players. It is a show of the players' respect for growing the game and the next generation of players."

    He also outlined the players' solution to end the nine-month impasse. This involved players accepting CA's revenue scenario forecasts, players accepting an agreed percentage of Australian cricket revenue, which factors in women players for the first time, and "revenue sharing is then modernised so that the players allocate an amount of the players share of revenue to grassroots investment. This could be up to $30 million via their PGIF fund".

    "This figure has been arrived at as it would match the current offer from CA to direct its proposed administrative cost savings into grassroots cricket, which itself is a welcome contribution from CA," Nicholson wrote.

    "Both parties agree to a gender-neutral pay model and the inclusion of women in the one MOU; and back pay be provided to players (who have kept training even though unemployed) and the current adjustment ledger would not be 'rolled over', both of which are, as instructed by you, plainly and rightly non-negotiable".

    Players are fighting to be paid the $29 million of surplus funds they are owed under the current MOU as part of the adjustment ledger fund. CA wants some of this money to be parlayed into a new deal.

    More than 200 cricketers have been unemployed since July 1. CA has saved $2 million in wages, with this money redirected to grassroots and club level.

    The ACA has sought guidance from former Labor politician and chief unionist Greg Combet through the increasingly ugly spat.

 
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