Strike still seen as last resort for AFL players in pay stoush but possible action is being planned
A PLAYER strike remains the last resort as the new AFL pay deal is no closer to being finalised but the player group is planning possible action against the AFL.
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FOOTY’S pay stoush has reached flashpoint with players set to reject the AFL’s $1.5 billion, six-year offer.
League chiefs formally delivered their salaries proposal to the powerful player union on Thursday night - a deal that would see the salary cap jump from $10.37 million last year to $12.4m this season.
The Herald Sun has been told players remain united in their bid for a fixed slice of the game’s riches and are planning a “dispute situation strategy” that could see disruptive acts of defiance deployed against the AFL in coming weeks.
It is unclear what guerilla tactics or actions the players intend to take.
Player sit-downs will not be considered and a devastating player strike is, at this stage, seen as a last resort.
A breakdown of the AFL pay offer will be distributed to the game’s 817 players by the AFL Players’ Association in coming days.
Players will be asked to vote as early as next month on whether to accept or reject the deal.
Stars Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, Scott Pendlebury, Leigh Montagna and Easton Wood are leading the AFLPA’s fight as union board members.
Asked about the deepening pay dispute last week, Dangerfield, the AFLPA’s vice-president, declared: “The longer it goes the more potential, I suppose, there is that there maybe a stronger action taken than what is currently happening.
“I think things may heat up in the next few weeks.”
PAY DEAL LATEST: NEW STICKING POINT EMERGES
REJECTED: PLAYERS TO REJECT NEXT AFL PAY OFFER
PAY DEAL: ANGER GROWING AMONGST CLUBS, PLAYER AGENTS
The AFLPA negotiating team led by chief executive Paul Marsh will meet with the AFL this week to determine if Thursday’s revised pitch represents the league’s final offer.
The heavily front-ended AFL offer would see player wages soar by 20 per cent this season followed by increases of just 1 per cent a season for the next five years.
Total player payments, including marketing allowances, would climb from a combined $205 million last season to $242 million this year, reaching $254 million by the end of the six-year AFL proposal.
The $1.5 billion in wages over six years does not include additional payments for retirement, hardship, welfare and player development schemes.
Geelong chief executive Brian Cook on Monday urged the players to accept the offer.
“I just think a 20 per cent increase in one year is outstanding ... they should jump at that,” Cook told 3AW.
But Cats legend and former AFLPA board member Jimmy Bartel said the figures were misleading.
“I disagree that the 20 per cent is great because now the veteran’s list has been absorbed - so that actually comes into the salary cap,” Bartel said.
“The other thing that irritates the playing group is this number that is always put out in the press that the average wage is $300,000, but that’s only senior-listed wages.
“They (the AFL) choose to forget that there are on average five rookie-list players at every club. So you’ve nearly got 12 per cent of the playing group whose wages are not included, and they are probably on 40 or 50 thousand.”
Bartel said blame for the protracted negotiations lay at the feet of league bosses.
“The players’ union and their group have been ready and waiting. It’s the AFL that have been dragging their heels, so they shouldn’t be complaining that the deal hasn’t been done.”
The AFL refused to meet with the AFLPA for two months last November and December, a move seen by some as a delaying tactic aimed at extending the dispute into the 2017 season.
The last collective bargaining agreement expired last October, meaning clubs and player agents are in the dark about how much players will earn this year, let alone next season.
MONEY BRAWL
THE AFL OFFER
- Heavily front-ended six-year increase - 20 per cent in 2017, followed by 1 per cent a year until 2022
- Average wage (not including rookies) rises from $309,000 to $371,000
- Club salary cap jumps from $10.37m to $12.4m
- Freeze on $1.022m club promotional and marketing allowances (Additional Service Agreements)
- Veteran’s allowance scrapped
- “Mechanism” guaranteeing players a set percentage of unbudgeted AFL revenues
WHAT THE PLAYERS WANT
- Partnership model representing a set percentage of defined AFL and clubs revenues (estimated 27 per cent)
- Improved welfare and player development services
- Increased hardship support for former players
- Comprehensive injury payments model
- Better travel and accommodation conditions
- Bolstered player retirement fund
THE COMBATANTS
AFLPA board: Matthew Pavlich (president), Patrick Dangerfield (vice-president), Rory Sloane, Scott Pendlebury, Andrew Twaits (chairperson), Paul Marsh (CEO), Leigh Montagna, Daisy Pearce, Easton Wood, Phil Davis, Sam Docherty
AFL negotiating team: Ray Gunston (general manager, infrastructure, major projects and investment), Andrew Dillon (general counsel), Gillon McLachlan* (CEO)
*Has attended one meeting
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