Just one week before the State of Origin final, rugby league players sensationally escalated their salary dispute with the NRL by demanding for a media blackout.
Over the past 18 months, the Rugby League Players’ Association and the NRL have been engaged in unsuccessful collective bargaining negotiations.
As a result, fifty senior players representing all clubs came together on Tuesday night and unanimously decided to boycott all media appearances prior to any NRL, NRLW, or State of Origin game.
Pre-game, half-time, and post-game interviews, press conferences, and media access to changing rooms and mixing areas are all included in the boycott.
This will have an effect on the broadcasters Fox League and Channel Nine, who have agreements worth several million dollars granting them access to locker rooms.
It won’t have an impact on previous agreements negotiated between players and media organisations or media commitments made by clubs.
There will be no media boycott every week from Monday through Wednesday, unless there is an Origin game.
The boycott, which will begin on Thursday, July 6 and last through the conclusion of round 19, will involve all NRL players.
The RLPA has described the NRL’s “unreasonable CBA ultimatum” as the cause of the action, which led to the suspension of discussions.
“In response to our fair and reasonable settlement proposal, where players made key concessions to benefit the game, the NRL made over 100 unreasonable and unacceptable changes to the proposal,” the Association stated in a statement.
“The ARL Commission presented to us the NRL’s response to our settlement proposal as a take-it-or-leave-it offer and refusal to continue negotiations.”
The NRL and ARL Commission have been charged by the RLPA of enacting a number of policies that will weaken players’ rights, including compulsory allocation and insurance.
The RLPA has taken this action in an effort to pressure the parties involved in the failed collective bargaining process to start mediation.
The RLPA also demands that all NRL player compensation and perks be reinstated to the pre-COVID amounts outlined in the original CBA.
Clint Newton, CEO of the RLPA, encouraged the NRL and ARL Commission to “come to the table” for negotiations during a press conference on Wednesday in the afternoon.
According to him, players were “forced into this position” and their grievance was with the NRL, not the media.
In addition to sticking up for what is right, he added, “this player action is about preserving the integrity of the NRL and NRLW competitions.”
