Rugby Australia issue statement as player pay cut negotiations continue to sour

Rugby Australia have issued a statement on their negotiations with the Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) regarding a pay cut for players.

RUPA head Justin Harrison recently claimed that Rugby Australia hadn’t been forthcoming with information regarding Australia rugby fiances, and now RA Chief Executive Raelene Castle has responded.

The statement reads: Rugby Australia Chief Executive, Raelene Castle has issued the following statement on current discussions with the Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) regarding a short term pay deal to assist the code through the COVID-19 global health crisis.

“Rugby Australia yesterday announced a raft of deep cuts across the organisation that were necessary to support the game through the current global health and economic crisis caused by Coronavirus,” said Castle.

“These very difficult decisions have impacted every single employee at Rugby Australia and the Super Teams, and 75% of those employees have been stood down from their roles for a period of three months. This also equates to over a 75% savings in costs across these organisations.

“Yesterday, we commenced formal discussions with RUPA with a genuine desire to find a fair and reasonable solution on a short term pay deal with the players for the three-month period from now until June 30.

“We believe the information we have shared, including information on future cash projections, provides the players with enough information to develop a position.

“We have entered the discussions with RUPA in good faith and look forward to continuing those discussions to reach an appropriate agreement under the current circumstances.”

New Zealand Rugby staff haven’t taken the same hit as their Australian counterparts, agreeing to a 20 per cent pay cut across the board.

The organisation confirmed more of its austerity measures to AAP on Wednesday as it combats the financial strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic

All NZ Rugby staff, including the Board and All Blacks management, have accepted the 20 per cent pay reduction which a spokesperson said would have been worse were it not for the assistance of the New Zealand Government’s wage subsidy scheme.

– additional reporting AAP