“Poor form”: Barbs fly as Cricket Australia rules out mediation in pay impasse
Cricket Australia has rejected a players’ union demand for mediation in the pay dispute which could derail the Ashes series.
Senior members of the Australian team have warned this year's Ashes series could be a non-event unless the pay standoff is resolved. Photo: Aijaz Rahi / AP
CA chairman David Peever says it’s extraordinary the players’ body, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), wants mediation before negotiations begin on the governing body’s latest offer.
Informal discussions were held yesterday but there was no formal meeting with the ACA.
Peever, in a letter to ACA president Greg Dyer, said the players’ union request for mediation was unacceptable.
“They may be genuine issues of contention from the ACA’s perspective, however they should not be an insurmountable barrier to even commencing good-faith negotiations,” Peever wrote in his letter, published by ESPN.
“The approach the ACA has taken in demanding certain preconditions be met before it is prepared to begin negotiations is the fundamental reason why no progress has been made to date.”
Dyer said Peever’s letter was inaccurate.
“To make inaccurate statements about negotiations not having begun is poor form and clearly not consistent with good-faith discussions,” Dyer said in a statement.
“To be clear, I personally met with CA back on November 11 to commence negotiations, at which time we were commended for the position that had been presented on behalf of the players.
“Since then, the ACA management have had over 20 hours of face-to-face meetings with CA.”
Dyer said players had categorically rejected CA’s proposal to remove the revenue-sharing model which wages have been based on for the past two decades.
“The current successful revenue-sharing model has been presented by the ACA with a number of solutions regarding increases in grassroots cricket, flexibility in investment and sharing of risk, yet CA appears unwilling to talk about our approach,” he said.
“The ACA clearly want to resolve a new MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) before June 30 and, given the differences in both parties, mediation seems the right step.”
The current MoU expires on June 30.
CA chief executive James Sutherland last week warned players they would not be paid past June 30 should the impasse continue.
Players including David Warner have said the pay standoff could impact on this summer’s home Ashes series.
-AAP
