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GPA ballott for strike action THE prospect of Ireland’s
GAA fields falling silent this winter grew closer this week as the Gaelic
Players Association announced they are to ballot their members for strike
action.
Players’ union boss and former Dublin GAA star Dessie Farrell told
The Irish Post this week: “We have talked and talked, negotiated
with everyone and gotten nowhere. The time for talking is over.”
A meeting with the Taoiseach on Thursday night last failed to break the
deadlock between the Players’ Union, the GAA and the Government.
Farrell said: “We represent something like 92 per cent of GAA players
in Ireland and we are going to recommend strike action.
“Every player in the Union has a vote. They are caught in the middle
if a dispute which is not of their making and it is our intention to strike
in the new year. All competitions at national level will be affected.”
The dispute originates in the Irish Government’s decision to award
E5million in grants to GAA players.
Every county panellist in every county would get a share of the money,
about E2,200, but the GAA are disputing how the distribution of the money
will be managed leaving the players in limbo.
Farrell said: “Professional athletes in Ireland get big tax breaks
and many of them are millionaires, while amateur athletes get grants off
the sports council.
“GAA players are elite athletes as well and at the moment they are
being ignored. This money will cover out-of-pocket expenses and nothing
else.”
If the players vote to strike then several rounds of the National League
in January would be affected.
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