THREE years in as the country’s lone pro volleyball league, is it due time for the PVL to have a Uniform Players Contract (UPC) in place?
In light of Chery Tiggo’s contract row with star spiker Eya Laure, a league-wide UPC could emerge sooner than later.
READ: Chery Tiggo still looking for 'amicable resolution' to Eya Laure contract row
A major legal point that has surfaced as of late is the presence of a non-compete clause in Laure’s Chery Tiggo contract that may result to an indefinite ban from playing for another PVL team.
Legal complications in player contracts
In legal terms, a non-compete clause is a contract stipulation that restricts an employee from joining a competitor by the end of one’s employment tenure either for good or over a certain timeframe, depending on the terms of the agreement.
There are ways permissible by Philippine law for an aggrieved party to work around a non-compete clause — the simplest of which being a mutual agreement between both parties to lift the said clause and avoid further legal disputes.
Chery Tiggo team manager Aaron Velez confirmed that such talks with Laure are ongoing, with an ‘amicable resolution’ eyed before the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference begins on Nov. 9.
While Velez refused to disclose details of Laure’s reported non-compete clause, PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo sees such a contract impasse as a major point of consideration in ironing out the provisions of the league’s proposed UPC.
“Sa totoo lang, it’s an internal problem [ng Chery Tiggo] kaya ayaw naming manghimasok. But if they ask for our help, then we will help,” Malonzo said.
“At this point kasi, ‘yung non-compete clause, kung totoo ‘yun, hindi ko nga alam kung totoo eh basta ‘yun ‘yung sinasabi, pag-uusapan din namin how to avoid such cases.”
The need for a PVL UPC
The PBA has a UPC in place over the last four decades and continues to be revisited to adapt to the sporting landscape and the changing times.
For a relatively younger pro league as the PVL, it has been a tedious process thus far to draft and develop what would be a pro forma of player contracts moving forward.
In essence, the league-designed UPC seeks to streamline legal specificities of a player contract through uniform terms and conditions which will be agreed upon by the player, the team’s management and, of course, the league itself.
It might be one easier said than done given the current climate of Philippine volleyball, but Malonzo assured that the league is taking significant steps to put one in place soon.
“Isa sa dinedevelop namin is ‘yung Uniform Players Contract. It’s still under development pa because may mga provisions na ayaw ng teams, so we have to work it out,” said Malonzo.
“‘Pag UPC, parang template contract ‘yan for everybody. We need to pick everybody’s brain and then put in on paper na lahat mag-aagree. Eventually, baka kasama ‘run [non-compete clauses].”
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