Why does not AFE want more unions in the world of football?
TAnto male and female football are immersed inthe negotiation of their future collective agreements. In the case of the players, a historic breakthrough that has even motivated, for the first time, the interest of major unions like UGT, which traditionally prioritized the defense of other guilds more disadvantaged than that of footballers. They left that for the AFE. They do not feel the same in the case of footballers and, therefore, in this first negotiation they do want to collaborate.
The "problem" that there are now more unions interested in football is preventing today, they can all sit at the same table and negotiate. First wasFootballers ON, which already has 2,600 membersin just five months. And, as we say, UGT, which also has affiliates, although very many less. The situation, now, borders on the joke: the employers are willing to negotiate and offer new collective agreements to both players and players and, meanwhile, a union (AFE, which has more affiliates long in Spanish football) thanrefuses to even sit down to negotiate with other actors, if not under their conditions.
And, therefore, they are not accepting to negotiate with others. Why is this happening?
AFE denies the biggest, in the words of its vice-president Jesús Barbadilla, Jesule: "It's not that it bothers us, nor does it stop us from bothering, we just believe that in order to represent soccer players we have to be representative. each one to be able to negotiate (…) They have to show if it is true that they have affiliates, to what category they belong, if they are footballers or utilleros … You have to see it ". They do not clarify how much they link that link with the world of football, or how they would pass theexamof AFE to be considered valid at the same table. Whether it is by number of affiliates or years of existence, or why … "There are legal terms that I do not control and that it is better for a lawyer to answer, I can not tell you, there is no exam here, but one can not represent to journalists, yes, he will have to prove it, as in football, "explains Jesule.
But the main reasons for not sitting are: in the case of male because it is not necessary, there is an agreement in force until 2020 and the reforms that they have requested (after cases such as Isaac Cuenca or Pedro León), can be solved in joint committees, between LaLiga and them. Do not "touch", this negotiation.
In the employer's association, however, they affirm that in order to change aspects such as those requested by AFE, a new agreement is needed, they can not modify economic control simply by holding two meetings and, therefore, they plan to negotiate a new agreement. And there enters Footballers ON in the negotiation. And there comes AFE.
In the case of women, the reasons for not sitting down are the type of agreement they believe best: a fringe agreement, the most common in the world of sports. UGT assures that a sectorial one could be elaborated and, when not agreeing on that, they did not establish the negotiating table in a meeting in which, in addition, the presence of other trade unions was harshly criticized, even reaching contemptuous moments of disrespect.
According to the royal decree of distribution of television rights and the social fund of the collective agreement of the players, there are two amounts allocated to the unions that, in total, add up to just over 9 million euros. Part of that social fund must be divided between the unions that sit down to the negotiations of the collective agreements. On this occasion,specifically, 3.2 million euros that if everything continues the same as in the last 40 years, they would be complete for AFE. Now, at least, they will have to share them with ON players, although AFE has not yet sat down in the negotiations that are taking place between LaLiga and ON players.The new union has already requested to participate in this fund, for now, and in the absence of union elections, 50% with AFE (despite their refusal to negotiate).
And, later, AFE would have to negotiate the distribution of 0.5% that the unions enter by the royal decree of the televisions. More than seven million euros. In this they have the pan by the handle because,at the time of signing the decree, they only "existed" them and therefore, if other unions want to access those funds, they will have to go to court.
AFE has always been a powerful ally to get the presidency to the RFEF. Decisive. Villar started as president of AFE and Rubiales as well. It is a curious relationship of dependence and, at the time of voting, the weight of professional and non-professional footballers (in addition to futsal), is enormous. Villar had an enormous ancestry in Rubiales as now Rubiales has it in Aganzo (which he himself chose at first). In fact, Rubiales urged the female football employers, in a clear, unequivocal (and according to many of those present threatening), to negotiate immediately with AFE, for being the only union recognized by Fifpro. Leaving others out.
In 2020 there are again elections to the RFEF. The opposition to Rubiales is delighted that there are other unions that are losing power to AFE because they know that, in one way or another, options increase to win votes in the decisive presidential elections to the 2020 Federation.
AFE, at least salary, is a unionPremium. According to their own figures for 2017, the seven members of the Board of Directors of AFE received an average of 117,385 euros in 2017.A total of 821,696 euros. They went from 27 employees in 2016 to 59 in 2017 and,of its income of 13,201,649 euros, almost three million are destined to salaries (2,987,361). In addition, the LaLiga Social Fund gives them 2.7 million plus 7.2 million of 0.5% of TV revenues (also from LaLiga), just over one million from Fifpro and another million from the friendly in favor of AFE. Organizes the RFEF.
They have gone from spending on salaries 2,405,243 in 2016 to having budgeted a line item for salaries of 3,619,083 euros in 2018.
Having to share your income from LaLiga would jeopardize your financial viabilityand, above all, its expansion and growth in the eyes of Fifpro, the "FIFA of football unions".
5.- The"mandate"of AFE
After failing to reach an agreement in the CSD to establish the negotiating table for the women's football agreement, AFE claimed in a statement the "unequivocal mandate of the players," who had been exposed to "majority support of more than 90" % "in a query made in the locker room.
This "unequivocal mandate" arises from a consultation carried out behind the backs of the other unions, little explained, without any legal guarantee.
He was born in the AFE, in a meeting of captainsin which (according to the AFE version) it was the players themselves who,motu propio, they asked for advice on how they had to do to choose valid union representation. Of this consultation, which was conducted in the locker room, only AFE itself had data, which reached the first meeting in the CSD, assuring that 90% of those who had voted (how many, where, how?) Chose them they.
"If the girls have made a wardrobe, they have met among them, they have voted in a dressing room … what is our fault? What a person wants is not worth it, if it is not done in an urn it is not worth it? (sic) We have not stepped on a wardrobe, "says Jesule sharp. However, having to explain how it is possible that the results of that consultation have only reached AFE, the answer leaves in evidence, at least, a certain camaraderie in all that "free manifestation" of the players: "Of course because one of the capitanas is, precisely, of AFE ".
"They have expressed themselves freely, they have drawn up an act, I do not say whether it has legal validity or not, what I say is that if some girls say who they want to represent them, will they be in their right, no? .) Maybe the agreement we have to reach is to have a union election, because it will be done or not, but it is in their freedom to freely express themselves as they wish, "he adds.
From all this they obtained that "unequivocal mandate" that now they defend to coat and sword, even over to go to a formal union elections, as they proposed so much UGT as Footballers ON.And it is clear to everyone that AFE would win! Definitely. With a lot of difference. But doing them would refer us to the first point, it would be to recognize other unions and recognize that they would have to distribute.
For that reason, they prefer to stick to this question for now, criticized by some players even for the very transparent way in which it was made.
Both the president of AFE, David Aganzo, and its directors, in that first meeting were derogatory with the presence of UGT and ON Football Players. "But what do you know about soccer?", They even asked one of the UGT representatives at various times during the meeting. Soccer player, by the way. "But of Second", as it was also said.
In AFE, however, beyond the managerial strata, there is a clear concern and respect for women's football. They have toured the dressing rooms of Spain and have been concerned to promote improvements. María José López is the external advisor who leads the women's agreement from the legal point of view for AFE: "The women's agreement is important, it is absolutely necessary to define what type of agreement is decisive: it must be a fringe agreement. The use and custom of the right is a source of law, they are well recognized in many judgments, it is not that we do not want to sit with them, it is that we believe it is important that it be a fringe agreement, not a sectoral one, like all sports agreements. In our country, that is our position and that was the debate, not knowing if we should be one, two or three.The sport is so specific: in which work environment can boys not have the same conditions as girls? a legal aberration in labor law, but sport makes these situations happen, which are legal, but not illegal, that was the only real debate, in all sincerity, at the meeting of the day 4 in the CSD. "
In male football it seems that the conflict is destined for the courts. AFE does not recognize the existing negotiations (LaLiga and ON Football Players have two meetings) and are still waiting for a citation for the joint commission, alone with the employers.
"The one that is a negotiating table for men's soccer does not have to exist, because there is already an agreement signed until June 2020 and there is no need to open another, we ask to make changes and, for that, there are the joint committees, it is not necessary To negotiate the agreement, we asked for those tables and LaLiga has not yet answered us and is negotiating on the other hand, "Jesule says.
The two negotiations continue.The one of the players, without AFE at the tablealthough the other union, Footballers ON, continue to consider it (for the distribution of funds and for the consultation of the improvements).In the women's, next October 25 is the next meeting to which, by the way, employers will not attend (the Women's Football Association) if there is no prior agreement between the unionsto set up the negotiating table.These will meet a week before, at least to try to reach the 25th day with the type of agreement that will be discussed (fringe or sectorial) decided.
