NRL players back down from striking in trials and All Stars as CBA negotiations with NRL progress
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NRL players back off industrial action in test matches and All Stars match in New Zealand as CBA negotiations with NRL take positive turn
- The RLPA and NRL have been negotiating the CBA since last year
- The players had threatened to go on strike if the demands were not met.
- They have thrown back the strike in the matches this weekend
The strike over the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations with the NRL has been called off for now, with the players going ahead with test matches tonight.
There was speculation that players could retire or cover sponsor logos in tonight’s matches between the Newcastle Knights and Cronulla Sharks and the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Manly Sea Eagles, while the All-Stars game will take place in Rotorua on Saturday. .
The Warriors’ Viliami Vailea dives to score a try during the NRL Test match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Wests Tigers on Thursday night.
In a big push for the upcoming NRL season, the players have agreed not to take industrial action that could affect testing.
The NRL players had threatened industrial action in the trials, including delaying start times, covering NRL logos on their shirts, and refusing media requests.
However, after significant progress was made behind closed doors with NRL boss Andrew Abdo in tense collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the players chose not to proceed with those actions.
The Rugby League Players Association [RLPA] it initially set a deadline of Thursday to reach an agreement with the NRL on three of the key conditions in the CBA talks, but opted to decide before lunch on Friday whether to discontinue test matches.
They backed out after RLPA boss Clint Newton and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo met on Thursday night. On Friday, both traveled to Rotorua for the All-Stars game.
Isaah Yeo from Penrith spoke to the media on Wednesday and said that at that point the strike was still a real possibility.
‘I feel like we’ve given them a chance now. If we have to take further action as a group, we will,” she said.
‘If things keep failing as they are and we don’t get resolutions, (boycott games) is obviously the absolute extreme.
‘It’s something the players don’t want to get to. We all want to play soccer.
I’m sure everything will be fixed before then.
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