Breaking News: ZJK boycotts China Super League!

Who Do You Support in Zhang Jike's Contract Dispute with Luneng?

  • Zhang Jike. He should not play without a contract.

    Votes: 39 95.1%
  • Luneng. The club has a right to withhold a contract.

    Votes: 2 4.9%

  • Total voters
    41
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Breaking News: ZJK boycotting Super League due to contract dispute with Luneng

Previously, Zhang Jike indicated that he had recovered quite well and would play on July 11 against Jiangsu. However, Zhang Jike not only did not play on July 11 but did not even show up for the match. According to a breaking news by CCTV, it turned out that he was boycotting Super League due to contract dispute with Luneng. Although 2015 Super League is already half way and Zhang Jike already signed the contract after first round, Luneng has not signed the contract as of today saying they want to wait and see Zhang Jike's performance before signing. The club's representative said that if Zhang Jike performs well then the Club will have no problem signing the contract. At the meantime, Zhang Jike already played for Luneng for five rounds without a contract! Luneng management admitted that all the players at Luneng have a contract except for Zhang Jike before the season starts!

zhangjikesuperrd4.jpg


In Super League's 20 years' history (Super League started in 1995), Zhang Jike is the first player who boycotts due to contract dispute with the club.

Is it normal for professional players to start a season without a contract with sports club? Should a player play for the club without a contract? Can a club say that it wants to wait and see as the season proceeds to decided whether to sign the contract?

What do you think? Who do you support? Zhang Jike or Luneng? Please cast your vote!
 
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This is crazy, how can Zhang Jike be playing without a contract? Also the club cannot black mail him saying he has to perform well to get a contract, that is absurd! He is one of the greatest players of all time, no wonder he is boycotting.

Thanks for sharing news with us zjkfanorever What do you think of the situation?
 
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Dosn't he have an agent to represent him ? I can't believe he would play with out a contract at the start of league play.

No, Chinese TT players do not have agency to represent them. It's not like in Western countries.

Zhang Jike has been playing for Luneng since 2005 when he's 17 years old, and helped the club to win two championship titles. He himself has won MVP three times. For the last 10 years he has not played for any club other than Luneng. He trusted the club. So, even without a contract, he still played for the club in the first five rounds without pay (no salary nor winning bonus). However, due to back injuries suffered during Suzhou WTTC, his performance may not be up to the club's expectations, winning 5 games and losing 3 games. However, the Super League already has rules governing base salary, appearance fee, and winning bonus. I don't think a club can demand that a player has to have certain winning percentage. According to the news, the club now owes Zhang Jike at least CNY250,000 in back salary, appearance fee, and winning bonus for the five rounds he played.
 
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This is crazy, how can Zhang Jike be playing without a contract? Also the club cannot black mail him saying he has to perform well to get a contract, that is absurd! He is one of the greatest players of all time, no wonder he is boycotting.

Thanks for sharing news with us zjkfanorever What do you think of the situation?

I support Zhang Jike without a question! A professional club could only sign contract based on a player's past performance. If his performance is not up to your expectations this season, you could negotiate the contract next season. I have never heard that a club can decide whether to sign a contract as the season proceed depending on a player's performance. That's absurd!
 
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Following are the exact words by Lunengspokes person Sun Kuiming regarding the situation during the interview:

Sun: Due to injuries, based on his performance, Zhang Jike's ability to control the games has been slipping, so he's having less playing time. We have higher expectations for core players, and we could not reach an agreement with him over mutually concerned issues. Our focus is Jike's performance. From the company's standpoint, that's our requirement. As soon as his performance picks up, we are going to sign the contract under certain conditions, it should not be a problem.

Reporter: Isn't the contract supposed to be signed before the season starts?

Sun: We are still communicating and negotiating regarding some details. We are trying our best to protect both the player and the club's interests.


Reporter: When were Fang Bo and other players' contracts signed?

Sun: Before the season starts.


Reporter: So only Zhang Jike's contract has not been signed until this late?

Sun: I suppose so.


Reporter: Why?

Sun: I'm not sure exactly what happened.


Reporter: Those are the upper manager's decisions?

Sun: Probably. I'm nor sure.


Reporter: What is the club's intention? Continue negotiating or won't sign with him at all?

Sun: From the point of view of the company, the club, and the team, we want to wait and see Zhang Jike's performance as a core player, we are communicating with him on good terms.

Chinese report link:http://rmrbapi.people.cn/share/index.php?itemid=7_23628&tagid=5&devicetype=2

Here is the video of the interview with Sun if anybody who understands Chinese cares to watch.

http://video.sina.com.cn/p/sports/o/p/v/2015-07-12/131765037829.html
 
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http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/pingpang/2015-07-12/doc-ifxewnie5447740.shtml

Following is a rough translation of the above Sina's reports on the incident

Sina Sports News Beijing July 12

According to CCTV <<Sports News>>, Zhang Jike and Luneng Club has a labor contract dispute going on. Super League has played for nine rounds, and Zhang Jike said he still had not received a contract. The club said they will only sign with Zhang Jike if he performs well. Therefore, Zhang Jike decided to boycott. Also due to the injury, Zhang Jike has not played since round 5.

Since this year’s WTTC, Zhang Jike has been troubled by back injury, which has been diagnosed as bilateral lumbar sacral cleft. Frequent travels required by the Super League poses great challenge to his recovery, and resulted in his sub par performances. In the first five rounds Zhang Jike played 8 matches with 5 wins and 3 losses. In the fifth round, the last round he played, Zhang Jike as No. 1 player lost two games. Zhang Jike did not play for the next four rounds.

Regarding the contract dispute, Zhang Jike told the reporter during an interview:"I signed the contract after the first round. I think the contract is intended to protect both parties. Everybody knows the procedure, I signed the contract after the first round, but the contract is useless until the club manager also signs. After both parties sign, both parties should have a signed copy. The problem is, I still have not received a signed copy (by the club)."

Reporter:When did the club tell you that they will only sign the contract if you perform well?

Zhang:"They did not inform me directly, probably told the coach, saying they want to wait and see how I recover from the injuries. But, whether my performance will be affected by the back injury, they still need to sign the contract. I don't think it's right to let a player play first, and then if he plays well the club will sign the contract; otherwise, the club won't sign. I have been with Luneng for more than a decade, I trusted them, so I had been waiting, but as of present I still have no contract. I really cannot go to the court to play, (boycotting or quitting) is only me exercising my right to protect my own interest. I really felt awkward to go to court to play 'cause I don't know whom I'm playing for if the club doesn't sign the contract with me. It's hard for me to play."

It is reported that Zhang Jike is affiliated with Shandong Sports Bureau as far as the employment relationship goes, and has been with Luneng since young age. As of now, Zhang Jike said that he's not going to play without a contract, while the club said that it will only sign the contract with Zhang Jike if he performs well. The performance refers to his performance on court.

Zhang Jike told the reporter that recently he has been recovering quite well. He said:"The last two weeks I have been training in Beijing. In addition, I have been receiving treatment. I felt good about my conditions. After I returned to the club, I have been training both in the morning and in the afternoon. My conditions are very good. My injuries have recovered well. I really want to play. But without a contract, it's hard for me to play. Even if the club signs the contract but does not let me play, I as a player could understand."
 
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This player was an icon and a legend [and still] in the past during 2009-2013, but after that time he became like he wants to stop playing, or play by mood, honestly the last year and this year i didn't see much of him in tournaments or championships, even his winning in doubles or team with Xu Xin in WTTC 2015 doesn't seem that he is giving his full performance, i think he either feeling he is done with awards he had already or he is not interested in to play more for more titles, i really don't know this player behave or attitude, I was shocked when he lost to Fang Bo in that WTTC 2015 as i never heard about Fang Bo before, but, i can't speak much about this player because many fans calling him a legend and he deserves, but what is his plans in this year and next years?

Also, what is the story behind his injuries? every time i hear he got injured or can't play good enough because of a problem, i didn't hear that much with Ma Long or Xu Xin or even FZD, but with ZJK i hear a lot about his physical issue.
 
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In deed, the contact mentioned in ZJK's words is the salary contact, the employment agreement had been signed.
 
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Liu Xiaolong, the Director of China Table Tennis and Badminton Center and Chairman of CTTSL Organization Committee, answered questions regarding Zhang Jike's contract dispute with Luneng.

According to Liu, Zhang Jike has a four year contract with Luneng in 2012. The CTTSL regulations require that before each season starts, the player and the club have to sign an Addendum to the four year contract stipulating the season's pay, including

1. base salary;
2. performance bonus; and,
3. season bonus.

While the first two types of pay are regulated by CTTSL Organization Committee, the third type of pay (seasonal bonus) is negotiated between the player and the club. Before the season starts, the Organization Committee did receive an Addendum to the four year contract signed by the club manager and Zhang Jike in which it spelled out the terms of pay for the first two parts but not the third part, which is now the focus of Zhang Jike's dispute with the club.

The signed contracts showed the following: Zhang Jike's 2015 season pay include three parts, base salary, performance bonus, and season bonus.

1. Base Salary: CNY578,800
2. Performance Bonus:
A. Playing Fee: CNY 10,000/game
B. Winning Bonus: CNY 35,000/game
3. Season Bonus: The amount and pay method shall be determined according to the club's policies

Liu explained that each club can negotiate the season bonus based on team ranking and player's performance with the player. Zhang Jike and Luneng has not reached an agreement regarding season bonus. Liu also said that the Organization Committee has urged the disputing parties to communicate and negotiate actively so as to reach an agreement. However, even before an agreement could be reached, Zhang Jike is required to show up for each match. Liu did not say whether Zhang Jike is required to play though before an agreement could be reached. Liu also did not say when the club and the player have to reach an agreement regarding season bonus.

================================================================

My take on this new development:

Since the regulation says that a player's season pay include base salary, performance bonus, and season bonus, a contract is not complete if any one of the three components is missing. Especially since the first two parts (base salary, performance bonus) are stipulated by the Organization Committee, the only bargaining power the club and the player has rests solely on the third part (season bonus). If the two parties cannot reach an agreement regarding this, it is basically the same thing as having no contract. I think it's unfair to ask a player to play without a complete contract.

I think when Zhang Jike said he signed the contract but the club has not signed he's not referring to the contract regarding base salary and performance bonus because there's nothing to be disputed about. What he referred to is a separate contract regarding the season bonus which is not disclosed in this signed contract submitted to the Organization Committee.

Furthermore, since Zhang Jike said he already signed the contract (regarding season bonus) after first round, that means there was an agreement between Luneng and Zhang Jike regarding bonus contract before the season starts. However, the club backed off from the original contract when it realized the effect of Zhang Jike's injury on his performance, and is trying to negotiate a modified contract with Zhang Jike. Zhang Jike, on the other hand, refuses to budge and only wants to stick to the original contract. Thus, the parties reaches a dead end.
 
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Very interesting. It seems likely to me that the part under dispute is probably much greater than the rest combined. I am somewhat surprised at how low the contract is.
 
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ZJK should create a player's union for representation, invite Ma Long, Xu Xin, FZD, etc. and if all the big guns don't show up to league matches that will definitely be a wakeup call to these backward clubs that they think they can get away with this type of behavior.
 
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