Galaxy engage players on salary cuts
Chakalisa Dube | Friday June 26, 2020 14:56
Galaxy spokesperson, Tankiso Morake said they would talk to their staff on how to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Most organisations are going through a rough patch globally owing to challenges brought by COVID-19 and we are no exception. We are currently reviewing certain aspects in relation to how we run the club in a bid to cope with the effects of COVID-19,” Morake said.
“We have started engagements with 52 members of our staff to see how we can cushion the club from the effects of COVID-19, something that ultimately leads to salary cuts. By next week, I expect that we would have reached an agreement as well as the overall review of our operations. As of now, we have not imposed any salary cuts on our players or support staff as speculated.”
The 52 staff members include players, technical team members as well as employees at a bar and sports shop owned by the club.
Botswana Premier League sides have been hard hit by COVID-19. Even wealthy sides such as Township Rollers paid their players half salaries last month.
Morake emphasised that job protection would be prioritised under the current review. “We have not released any player at the moment. In addition there is no player who has shown desire to leave. We will be willing to let go of players who want to leave. If we are to renew contracts we will give our players reasonable offers based on the current economic climate,” Morake explained. Morake added that at the moment there are no indications that the club will lose its sponsorship from mining giants Debswana.
“We only anticipate that we might experience a reduction in sponsorship because of COVID-19. The general manager of Jwaneng mine has already indicated that there might be a reduction of sponsorship for all bodies that benefit through the mine’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative owing to COVID-19.”
There have been fears that the continued impact of COVID-19 on Debswana’s operations is likely to affect Orapa United and Galaxy’s sponsorship.
The diamond industry is in turmoil, with the country struggling to sell the precious stones as buyers are closed out due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Galaxy and Orapa United’s run has been credited to the mine’s backing. The Jwaneng outfit has indicated plans to launch a five-year strategy meant to help the club sustain itself and lessen reliance on the mine sponsorship.