CA drops pregnancy clause
AUSTRALIAN cricket’s pay saga continues to bubble but progress has been made in the warring parties’ push for greater gender equality.
It is understood the controversial pregnancy clause that derailed pay talks seven months ago was changed for the short-term deals that ensured Australia’s participation in the just-completed women’s World Cup.
Cricket Australia has removed the antiquated reference that demanded cricketers declare they are not pregnant.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has confirmed its investigation into the matter remains ongoing.
CA still requires players to notify a medical officer if they become pregnant as soon as reasonably practicable, deeming it necessary to ensure the safety of players and unborn babies.
The legality of that demand is one of many issues that has been discussed in a women’s contract working group that was set up soon after the clause triggered a heated public spat between CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association.
Representatives from CA and the ACA are working hard, under the guidance of legal and medical experts plus officials from the Fair Work Ombudsman and Safe Work Australia, to ensure the new memorandum of understanding is momentous and just.
Talks are ongoing regarding maternity leave, female players’ high-performance environment and other conditions. State female players will join male colleagues in being able to sign multi-year contracts under the new agreement. The governing body and players’ union want women to be included on the same MoU as men for the first time.
It is why they did not wish to extend the previous MoU for 12 months, something many former male players have proposed as a stop-gap solution to the impasse.
The women’s Ashes start in Brisbane on October 22. AAP