NRL $1b wage war a threat to game
PLAYER payments would break through the $1 billion mark in the next collective bargaining agreement and will ‘‘ultimately destroy the financial viability and structure of the game and its clubs’’ if a proposal from the players’ union is accepted, a leaked NRL document claims.
In an explosive email distributed to clubs obtained by Fairfax Media, the NRL claims the Rugby League Players’ Association demands – totalling $A1.06 billion ($NZ1.1b) over five years – would cost it and the clubs more than $A200 million more than what the governing body tabled in their initial offer in March.
‘‘The RLPA/player proposal is unaffordable and shows an apparent disregard for the game,’’ the NRL stated in its email.
In a series of inflammatory remarks, the NRL claims the deal ‘‘if accepted in any form will result in the NRL and clubs ceding control over the game and … would also consume club margins that were secured as part of the Club Funding Agreement in December last year to sustain the game’s viability and make NRL funding arrangements and the survival of the game impossible to sustain.’’
The NRL also took a shot at the $5 million the union will require to run its operations, which will expand to include the costs of being involved with integrity and agent accreditation matters.
Rugby League Central claims the figure is a 537 per cent increase, three times that secured by the Australian Cricketers’ Association and twice that of the AFLPA.
The RLPA strongly refutes it is holding the game to ransom and believes the NRL is misrepresenting its position in an attempt to drive a wedge between the union and the clubs.
The association feels they should have been consulted directly for clarification of contentious matters rather than having a head office spin put on its first proposal.
The union believes not all revenue streams have been included in the NRL’s calculations and that, contrary to the governing body’s opinion, the players are prepared to share in the upside and downside of the game’s financial performance over the term.
The document highlights how far the parties are apart and raises the prospect of a fiery meeting when the parties return to the negotiating table on June 5.
Several of the game’s biggest stars will be in attendance. Unless concessions are made on both sides, the prospect of industrial action will loom large ahead of the 2018 season. The Sun-Herald