CSA, SACA reach interim agreement for player contracts

Cricket South Africa has re-committed to the revenue share model with its players and has also reached an interim agreement with the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), which will remain in place until the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is completed at the end of June.

The MoU between the parties will expire next Monday. Negotiations for a new deal have not been completed in time for a new agreement to come into immediate effect. That carries the risk of leaving most of the country’s professional cricketers – apart from those on two-year deals – out of contract, but the interim arrangement has made a provision for player contracts to move ahead.

CSA and SACA have also agreed on a 6% annual increase in salary for all national and franchise players and that the revenue-share model will be maintained. The CSA will have an extension on player commercial rights until the MoU is finalised, which means the CSA can continue to advertise for events, such as the next home summer using players’ images.

The longer-term financial arrangements, such as benefits, which will be similar to those in the previous MoU, have not yet been discussed. Crucially, CSA and SACA have agreed on specific dates on which they will negotiate in May and June, which has been absent previously. In the past week, SACA claimed that CSA had avoided communication with them, had not responded to messages and that negotiations had not even started. Now, SACA are pleased with the progress that has been made.

“We are satisfied that this Interim Agreement addresses the uncertainty that has existed amongst players regarding the MOU and their contracts and it ensures that no national or franchise player in the system going forward is left without a contract come May 1, 2018,” Tony Irish, SACA CEO, said. “The Interim Agreement also contains commitments to key issues outside the player contracts and commits the parties to further structured negotiation over a two-month period which aims to finalise the full ambit of player benefits, and other player relevant matters, to apply over the longer, four to five-year term of the MoU.”

The MoU between CSA and SACA is renewed every four years. This time, CSA are proposing a five-year MoU, which will be in place until 2023. CSA will also look to redefine their relationship with SACA, though they have not outlined what they want to change. “There is still a long way to go in these negotiations but CSA and SACA have both acted in the best interests of the game by setting a clear platform needed to jointly and constructively get this done within a two-month period,” Thabang Moroe, CSA Acting CEO said.

There was also no update on the Global T20 League. Moroe has hinted CSA will make an announcement on the tournament’s future within the next week.