Healy calls on stars to avoid strike

TEST great Ian Healy has urged Australia’s cricketers to avoid strike action – or even talking about it – as the temperature rises in the game’s pay war.

Current and former Australian players hinted at strike action after a strongly worded email from Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland said uncontracted players would cease to be paid after June 30 due to a breakdown in negotiations for cricket’s new Memorandum of Understanding.

Healy was playing in 1997 when the Australian team voted to consider striking before an 11th-hour breakthrough sealed a historic deal that saw cricketers win a percentage of the game’s revenue.

Players are campaigning strongly for the retention of that model, while Cricket Australia wants more flexibility with its funding.

Healy believes the current impasse can be broken without industrial action.

“I think a potential strike over a model of payment is just not on,’’ Healy said.

“The game is wealthy. Everyone is doing well. I would not even be threatening to have a strike.”

Australia’s top 20 cricketers average $1.2 million a year in payments from Cricket Australia. – ROBERT CRADDOCK