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Source: football S facebook page
FEATURE: Calls for specialised union in Australia for football administration staff
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By Janakan Seemampillai
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There are growing calls within the Australian football industry about a specialised union that represents administrative staff at football clubs.
With the financial struggles faced by A-League Clubs like Western United, Central Coast, Brisbane Roar to name a few, as well as a number of NPL clubs across the country, a number of administrative staff who work behind the scenes at football clubs are often ignored or left behind. Most have little financial means to obtain decent legal advice to help them.
The players have the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), who have been quite vocal in the Western United saga re support of players for both the men’s and women’s teams, but this support of course has understandably not extended to administrative staff.
While the United Workers Union (UWU), Australian Services Union (ASU) and Australian Workers Union (AWU) are always available for staff in the sports industry, many within the football industry believe there should be a specialised union created for admin staff at football clubs as well as administrative staff at the game’s governing bodies including Football Australia and State Member Federations.
Considering the financial challenges that are always so evident within football, as well as numerous claims of unfair work hours experienced by administrative staff, this seems like a logical move. Many administrative staff often complain of exploitation and being forced to do roles outside the scope of their job requirements, without the appropriate financial compensation. Since football operates outside traditional business hours, it makes staff even more vulnerable.
There are also concerns on the over reliance of volunteers at A-League Clubs and NPL clubs, particularly those partaking in the Australian Championship (second tier). A number of clubs across all of these competitions are using volunteers to carry out important administrative tasks, which many within the industry feel is a blatant exploitation of passionate fans.
It is understood there was talk around 2017-18 for such a union to get off the ground, but this hasn’t come to fruition as yet.
The struggles of Western United have been in the public eye, but the main focus has been on players and coaching staff. A number of administrative staff at Western United are still owed a significant amount of unpaid wages and/or redundancy payments. Many haven’t been paid for up to four months.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HNP5u6UL2/?mibextid=wwXIfr
It is understood these staff have been promised payment will be made over the next 48 hours, which comes as news filters through that Johnson Controls has provided funds for Western United’s parent entity to pay $15.5 million in ATO debts.
There have also been rumours that Lederer Group Pty Ltd have proposed to provide further funding, though this has not been publicly confirmed.
The Johnson Controls funds were supposed to cover the ATO’s debts, but it is unclear if there are additional funds to cover what administration staff at Western United are owed.
With football getting even more costly and revenue streams dwindling, now seems as good a time as ever for administrative staff to find more support.
FEATURE: Calls for specialised union in Australia for football administration staff
—
By Janakan Seemampillai
—
There are growing calls within the Australian football industry about a specialised union that represents administrative staff at football clubs.
With the financial struggles faced by A-League Clubs like Western United, Central Coast, Brisbane Roar to name a few, as well as a number of NPL clubs across the country, a number of administrative staff who work behind the scenes at football clubs are often ignored or left behind. Most have little financial means to obtain decent legal advice to help them.
The players have the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), who have been quite vocal in the Western United saga re support of players for both the men’s and women’s teams, but this support of course has understandably not extended to administrative staff.
While the United Workers Union (UWU), Australian Services Union (ASU) and Australian Workers Union (AWU) are always available for staff in the sports industry, many within the football industry believe there should be a specialised union created for admin staff at football clubs as well as administrative staff at the game’s governing bodies including Football Australia and State Member Federations.
Considering the financial challenges that are always so evident within football, as well as numerous claims of unfair work hours experienced by administrative staff, this seems like a logical move. Many administrative staff often complain of exploitation and being forced to do roles outside the scope of their job requirements, without the appropriate financial compensation. Since football operates outside traditional business hours, it makes staff even more vulnerable.
There are also concerns on the over reliance of volunteers at A-League Clubs and NPL clubs, particularly those partaking in the Australian Championship (second tier). A number of clubs across all of these competitions are using volunteers to carry out important administrative tasks, which many within the industry feel is a blatant exploitation of passionate fans.
It is understood there was talk around 2017-18 for such a union to get off the ground, but this hasn’t come to fruition as yet.
The struggles of Western United have been in the public eye, but the main focus has been on players and coaching staff. A number of administrative staff at Western United are still owed a significant amount of unpaid wages and/or redundancy payments. Many haven’t been paid for up to four months.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HNP5u6UL2/?mibextid=wwXIfr
It is understood these staff have been promised payment will be made over the next 48 hours, which comes as news filters through that Johnson Controls has provided funds for Western United’s parent entity to pay $15.5 million in ATO debts.
There have also been rumours that Lederer Group Pty Ltd have proposed to provide further funding, though this has not been publicly confirmed.
The Johnson Controls funds were supposed to cover the ATO’s debts, but it is unclear if there are additional funds to cover what administration staff at Western United are owed.
With football getting even more costly and revenue streams dwindling, now seems as good a time as ever for administrative staff to find more support.
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