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Players voting on strike action The Gaelic Players Association
(GPA) have confirmed this week that they are to ballot their members for
strike action after the latest round of talks with the Government produced
no breakthrough.
It is now expected that ballot papers will be
sent out next week to the 92 per cent of inter-county players who are
members of the organisation.
The Irish Post disclosed last week that the players’ union was considering
strike action in response to the impasse between the Government and the
GAA over the awarding of grants of about e2,200 a man to every member
of every inter-county panel.
Ballot papers were due to have been sent out
this week but a clerical error has delayed the process.
If the players vote in favour of the strike, then all national competition
in January and February could be affected.
The Roscommon County football team became the first squad to declare their
intentions this week.
Karl Mannion is the GPA representative in the Connacht county and he revealed
this week that following a meeting of the 30-man panel the county were
likely to support any strike.
That is likely to give greater momentum to the militants in the GPA, some
of whom have been agitating for a show of ‘player power’ for
several seasons.
It will take several weeks before the result
of any ballot is known
as the postal ballots
are sent all over the country and then returned while a good many university
students who live away from
their own parish will require time to collect and cast their vote. |
