Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle’s salary will be reduced by a further 15% to match the 65% pay cut she is asking Australia’s professional players to shoulder.
The cash-strapped governing body last week stood down 75% of their non-player workforce, after announcing a $9.4 million loss.
And with talks ongoing with the Rugby Union Players Association over a new emergency pay deal, Castle has promised to match the 65% pay cut the game’s professional players have been asked to cop until the end of September, in order to help the sport’s survival.
‘It’s the right thing to do. I have made that decision and recommended it to the board because we’re facing really tough times and have to make these calls. Like everyone through the game that’s had to stand down and make difficult decisions, I’m no different,’ Castle told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
‘We’ve been head down concentrating on trying to find a plan that protects the long term viability of the game, looking under every rock to try to save every penny we can to make sure the game is on a stable footing for the long term,’ she said.
‘Off the back of that I’ve decided to take an additional 15 per cent that will take my pay cut to 65%.’
No resolution was reached in talks before the start of Easter, as planned discussions with the RUPA on Thursday were postponed, after a RA director fell ill.
Both sides are looking to advance the situation and will resume talks on this coming week.
Australian rugby is currently in the grip of a major power struggle, as many within RA now want to remove Castle from from the top job following the revelation of the union’s massive financial loss in 2019 and the dismal financial outlook for 2020.
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