The Strikes Continue
The labor situation in a couple of European soccer leagues is unsettled to say the least. This blog has already commented on the struggle of La Liga players and their quest to obtain guaranteed money. Well it appears a second week of games will also be delayed as the players union and league have yet to come to an agreement. The top two divisions of Spanish league football are ready to strike as many weeks as possible to resolve a resolution over unpaid wages. The players are primarily fighting for a fund that will guarantee player wages even if the parent club defaults or declares bankruptcy. The current situation has over 50 million euros in wages owed to over 200 players.
This week Serie A in Italy announced that there may be a strike in their league as well. Today the owners and representatives of the clubs voted 18-2 against adopting a collective contract signed by the players. The league is standing firm on two changes it wishes to make. The clubs want to allow coaches to force unwanted players to train away from the first team. They also want players to pay a new solidarity tax that applies to high earners. The players and their union have resigned themselves to fact that a strike may be necessary if they cannot agree on a collective bargaining agreement.
The situations concerning these two strikes have brought to light the plight of player conditions in European leagues. There are drastic financial situations where some players go unpaid for a whole season, such in Spain. There is also a need for a collective bargaining agreement that equally favors the player and clubs, such as in Italy. It shocks this blogger that this is not bigger news here in the U.S. but long ago I resigned myself to the fact that ESPN dislikes Soccer and refuses to cover most anything non-American. Anyway VIVA LA PLAYERS RIGHTS!!!!
