Chris Chester '100 per cent' behind 'significant' pay cuts at Wakefield Trinity

Super League clubs are in the process of finalising wage reductions for all members of staff due to the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

The majority of top-flight clubs have placed staff on furlough leave, which will allow them to make use of the Government’s job retention scheme which sees 80 per cent of an employee’s salary paid by the Government, up to £2,500 a month.

Chester has revealed that all members of staff at Wakefield are behind the wage cuts put forward by the club’s board.

Income steams have all-but disappeared for the majority of Super League clubs, with no match-day revenue earned since the competition was suspended in the middle of March.

Chester knows that it is important for Wakefield to be in a position by the end of year to not be forced into redundancies

“I have said it from day one and told all my players that we know what is going on and I am all for taking wage cuts,” the Wakefield Trinity chief said.

“There will be significant wage cuts for players, staff and the club in general.

“It is just the situation that we find ourselves in and I have said it all along that if we find ourselves in a job in November we can count our lucky stars.

“There are people losing jobs, losing business, that are in far worse positions than what we are.

“I am all for pay cuts. There has been some good discussions over the last couple of weeks and it is just a matter of finalising those cuts.

“All the players are behind it and everyone is aware that it is a scary place out there at this moment in time.

“With no money coming into the club, we have to cut our cloth accordingly and if that comes with taking significant cuts to our salary then so be it.”

It has previously been reported that pay will be cut at Trinity on a sliding scale basis with all employees at Belle Vue set to have their wages reduced by 20 per cent on the first £37,500 they earn.

That will increase to a 30 per cent deduction on the next £22,500 earned, between £37,500 and £60,000 while the next £20,000, between £60,000 and £80,000, will be cut by 35 per cent.

Any salary over £80,000 will be reduced by 40 per cent with the situation up for review in June.

The revision of the proposed cuts will depend on a number of factors, including when the Super League season can safely resume and how long the Government’s job retention scheme will last.

Chester insists that all of his playing and coaching staff are behind the proposals put forward by chief executive Michael Carter and chairman John Minards.

“There has been a proposal from Michael (Carter), John (Minards) and the rest of the board about salary reductions,” continued Chester.

“It is fair to say they are quite significant but everybody is behind it, everybody understands the situation at this moment in time.”

Chester is focusing on the positives of the situation that is facing the majority of the worldwide population.

The United Kingdom has been in a state of lockdown since March 23 and that is expected to continue until at least the end of April.

With the population, barring key workers, only allowed to leave their home for one form of exercise and to do essential shopping for food and medicine, Chester said: “Let’s be honest as well, what can you possibly spend your money on apart from food every week?

“Your fuel bill is down because you are not spending money on petrol.

“It has made me realise how much money I fritter or throw away every month.

“The amount of money you can save in this period, it is a big bonus.

“It have enjoyed my time at home, I am ready to go back to work don’t get me wrong, but it makes you realise what you have actually got.

“You have just got to get on with it. There is going to be some significant drops in wages for every member of staff.

“Nobody wants to miss out on any money but we fully understand the situation that the country and the world is in at this moment in time.”

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