Pay dispute puts Ashes under threat even if deal is reached

The Australian Cricket Association(ACA) have warned that even if a deal is reached with Cricket Australia (CA), the Ashes series could still be scrapped.

The ACA chief Alistair Nicholson has informed players via an email that the Test series against England was under direct threat due to the length of time required for negotiations over a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), ABC report says.

“If there is agreement, the next step would be the more intensive MOU and contract drafting period,” Nicholson wrote.

"Given past experience and the massive detail involved, this would take some time and still may not be completed with time enough to meet the needs of fans, sponsors and broadcasters invested in the upcoming tours and the summer of cricket."

Cricket Australia were said to be surprised by the ACA’s claims but did not comment on key details.

ACA said that it had presented a terms sheet to the CA and received draft where all references of revenue sharing were removed.

"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.

"These actions would have the effect of taking the negotiations back to 'square one' minimising the good work and good faith acquired over the last two weeks and again jeopardising upcoming tours."

The ACA published a public statement where it presented a solution focused ‘peace plan’ to CA in the form of a terms sheet.

ABC published the main elements of the terms sheet:

• Players conceding to accept CA's lower end revenue scenarios as the basis for the allocation to Australian Cricket Revenue (ACR) given market and contract uncertainty
• Players accepting an agreed percentage of the ACR forecast
• Revenue sharing is modified so that the players allocate up to $30 million via a new Players Grassroots Investment Fund (PGIF) from their share of over forecast revenue and performance bonuses
• Thus reducing the share of revenue players would otherwise earn
• Both parties agree to a gender-neutral pay model and the inclusion of women in the one MOU
• 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 the players, plainly and rightly non-negotiable
• That given the urgency, the dispute could be resolved by both parties agreeing to the Terms Sheet, mindful that a full MOU and integrated player contracts would take some [time] to complete
• That the ACA are now concerned that a number of fundamentals in this Terms Sheet had been dismissed by CA and are now seeking clarification.

"The previous MOU took almost 18 months to draft following an in-principle position being reached by both parties," Nicholson said.

"Reaching in principle agreement is what the players have attempted to do this week as a way of breaking the deadlock and not jeopardising any more cricket.

"The players in the latest ACA offer have moved a long way. We are seeking the same kind of movement from CA,” the ACA chief added.