EP Rugby has until the 31st of this month to pay all outstanding salaries to those players who have still not been paid.
An arbitration agreement was signed last Friday between the players and EP Rugby.
The players lawyer, Craig Jessop, says retired judge Frank Kroon, as arbitrator made the agreement an arbitration award.
He explains what it entails.
"That arbitration award has effectively made provision for the payment of arrears to each player by the 31st of January and the payment of damages to each player which constitutes more or less five extra months salary payable in monthly installments until June. The idea being that the players will then be taken care of until the open market season when they can trade out with other provinces and/or international contracts might come their way."
Jessop says should the payment deadline not be met by EP Rugby, he's under instruction to begin a process of liquidation.
He says the arbitration award allows for some R12-million to be paid out to the players even though the initial figure was in the region of R20-million.
"These are not the players signed up for the Super Rugby season, even though their might just be one of them in the group. Principally these are the gone who don't have a home at the moment. There are some of them who are going to be finding jobs elsewhere and as and when they do, for example not for the arrear period for what they''re owed but for the damages (claim) if they had to do an appearance game for Western Province or the Sharks or something like then in that month then the damage salary paid to them will be less what they receive from another source. So, its a bit of fairness attached to that. About 18 players or so, many senior players among them."
Jessop explains that in terms of the arbitration agreement the players have also agreed to a compromise.
"As an act of compromise the five months, each month that goes by, the players will submit a certificate to say whether they've earned money and income elsewhere and that will be deducted from those monies (paid to them by EP Rugby)."
