LF League 2023-2024 season Women’s Football updates show the ongoing strike affecting the start of the campaign. The social negotiation bank reports that the dispute remains active, with the strike set to continue for the first two days before any decision to end the action is made. Employers’ side has rated the current economic proposal as unacceptable, maintaining a stance that the minimum wage should be 20,000 euros.
The member unions of the social negotiation bank, including FUTPRO, AFE, Futbolistas ON, CCOO and UGT, together with the Confederation of Mediation and Arbitration, agreed that the strike would persist for the first two days after talks at the SIMA Foundation headquarters. In a joint statement issued by AFE, the unions described the process as a regular phase in the league’s bargaining cycle.
Five unions stated that the last offer from the F League remains unacceptable. They reiterated a firm demand for a minimum wage aligned with players’ abilities, stressing that salaries must reflect footballers’ contributions. Members voiced disappointment with what they described as employer inaction during negotiations and indicated a willingness to continue pressing the case for fair compensation.
The social bank notes that figures for the minimum wage proposed as of 2022 were presented as affordable given the league’s economic size. They pointed to assets of 42 million euros, 35 million euros in insured television rights, and 22.5 million in state contributions as backing for their position.
Five unions offered a one-year salary agreement as a path to end the impasse, proposing to suspend the ongoing job action in exchange for progress in talks and a return to negotiations. However, employers reportedly remained largely unchanged in their stance, holding to a 20,000-euro annual salary for the current season, with a promise to revisit the figure should revenues rise beyond 8 million euros in assets; in such a scenario, the wage could rise to 23,000 euros.
The unions contend that any agreed point within the collective agreement should not hinge on the company’s commercial gains, arguing that players’ rights are not a mere business asset. In a last-ditch effort, they warned of the need for a shared compromise that would support football activities and protect workers’ rights, while also noting a potential revision of the compensation framework if the campaign yields higher profits.
It was emphasized that the present negotiations have focused on the minimum wage, with other clauses of the Collective Agreement left aside during this week’s meetings. This emphasis reflects a belief that the wage floor is a critical parameter, especially given the recent economic downturn. Participants agreed that a broader review of benefits should occur only after consensus on the wage issue is reached.
After a meeting with F League players on Wednesday, representatives warned that the employer offer remained unacceptable and expressed frustration at the need to prolong the strike. Even with the reduction to a 23,000-euro annual figure, unions argued that the arrangement still implies reduced earnings for the principal arbitrators and stressed that the negotiation must deliver meaningful gains for athletes.
The unions underscored the importance of defending the right to work for Spanish women football players and urged the institutions involved in the women’s football ecosystem to commit to development and to safeguarding the welfare of the players who contribute to the sport’s growth. They expressed hope that employer attitudes would shift and that a constructive proposal could emerge, ensuring that players in Spain receive compensation commensurate with their contributions and the league’s economic context.
As a result, the 23-24 season for the F League faced a delayed start. The originally planned kickoff between Sevilla and UDG Tenerife was postponed and the competition would now begin at 00:00 on September 8, running through 24:00 on Sunday, September 10. If a resolution is not reached, the schedule may shift to begin at 00:00 on Friday the 15th and run through 24:00 on Sunday the 17th, indicating the uncertainty surrounding the negotiations and the cautious approach taken by organizers and players alike.