An ongoing contractual conflict between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) looks no closer to an end.
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With Australian cricketers no longer employed by their nation as they seek contracts with an improved revenue sharing model, CA chairman David Peever is clearly quite peeved about the whole situation.
In what stands to be a potentially inflammatory article written in The Australian, Peever stated that he feels the ACA have adopted a 'reckless strategy' and have been generally difficult to work with.
"CA has made what in any normal circumstances would be regarded as a very generous offer," Peever wrote.
"It includes healthy pay increases for male players, a more than 150 per cent increase in pay for female players and gender equity in both pay and conditions, along with a share of any surplus for all players and major increases in other support and benefits.
"The ACA has responded by not only rejecting that proposal (and recent concessions) out of hand, but by launching a campaign of such sustained ferocity that anyone could be forgiven for thinking CA was proposing the reintroduction of slavery.
"Not content with that level of over-reaction, the ACA has gone much further, refusing to allow players to tour, threatening to drive away commercial sponsors and damage the prospects of broadcast partners, lock up player intellectual property into its own business ventures, and even stage its own games.
"It’s a reckless strategy that can only damage the game and therefore the interests of the ACA’s members."
Despite the strong criticism, Peever stressed the importance of the ACA moving forward.
"For the record, I respect the role of the ACA - and unions in general - to negotiate on behalf of members," he wrote.
"I recognise the place of collective bargaining and I accept the industrial relations framework.
"When this dispute is resolved, I would like to see the ACA resume the important and constructive role it has played in cricket until recent times.
"Any claims that I hold contrary views are untrue."
