DEADLOCK IN PAY TALKS
PAY talks between Wales’ professional players and the Professional Rugby Board are deadlocked. Wales on Sunday can reveal the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association is receptive to taking an extended 25 per cent pay cut because of the financial crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
But it wants the terms of the deal its members have been offered to be altered.
Players are unhappy at the PRB, which is made up of senior representatives from the regions and the Welsh Rugby Union, demanding the pay cuts be imposed for a fixed term of three years.
Players believe, if the crisis ends and life returns to near normality during that period, they should get back a percentage of the money they would have sacrificed.
The WRPA accepts players who have recently or intend to sign extended contracts with their current regions would be exempt from receiving deferred payments.
The situation is understood to be a reason why the deals to take Wales and Lions star Jamie Roberts and Wasps lock Will Rowlands, who made his Wales debut against France in this year’s Six Nations, to the Dragons haven’t yet been officially announced.
The pandemic has left Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets facing major financial obstacles.
The WRU is bracing itself for losses of up to £50m, the size of them dependent on whether Wales manage to play the fixtures which have been pencilled in for the autumn.
Welsh players earning more than £25,000 a year agreed a temporary three-month 25 per cent pay cut earlier this year. It came into force on April 1.
They have since held extensive talks with the PRB over longer-term reductions, but have been unable to strike an agreement.
If the PRB attempt to impose pay cuts, players would be entitled to turn them down and be free to move on.
That’s what happened in England, with international centre Manu Tuilagi leaving Leicester Tigers for Sale.
Ireland’s stars and provincial players have agreed a 10 per cent pay cut to the end of the year, while there are also salary reductions in France.
The WRPA, in a previous statement, said “trust and transparency” needed to be at the core of talks with the PRB, the WRU and the regions.
“The players accept financial uncertainty could be prolonged and as such, understand why long-term pay cuts have been mooted,” the June statement said.
“However, we would also point out it is equally plausible for revenues to return more quickly should social distancing, and even a vaccine, allow.
“This uncertainty makes it very difficult for any party to predict what the future holds and as such any decisions on cuts or long-term pay cuts are complex and need to be jointly explored and agreed.
“As the key assets in the game, the players must be seen as integral to resolving the difficult position the Welsh game finds itself in.
“However, there has to be a consensual way forward that identifies the capacity for a return to increased revenue and reflects the players’ value within it.”
WRU chairman Gareth Davies recently said nobody was immune from the problems rugby faced and urged sacrifices be made by “everybody”.