UCI President David LaPartient confirmed that the agreement signed between the parties to determine a payroll cost reduction plan for the men's professional team to survive in a coronavirus pandemic has been extended to the CPA Women and UNIO, which represent the women's team Confirmed.

The agreement highlights strategies to allow for fair negotiations between the teams and riders for potential salary cost reduction measures, including reduction or deferral of rider and staff salaries. These proposed measures and possible negotiations are intended to help teams survive while protecting the rights of riders and staff.

The women's team version of the agreement also includes the team using the UCI bank guarantee to pay the riders' salaries.

"We are in a difficult situation, so we have extended and duplicated the agreement between the CPA, AIGCP, and UCI for the men and the CPA (women's rider association), UNIO (women's team association), and UCI for the women," La Partiente told an online press La Partiente said at a press conference online.

Lapartiento suggested that it was important to first discuss the economic impact of the coronavirus on team finances, along with fair contract negotiations with the riders and team associations, as well as possible temporary cost savings. These discussions should take place before teams and riders attempt to use the UCI's bank guarantee in the event of a pandemic crisis, La Partiente said.

"Before getting into discussions about bank guarantees that could be used in several ways. That is, the possibility of some salary reductions, but with the consent of all stakeholders, as is the case for male athletes, and under an agreement signed among the stakeholders."

On April 11, the UCI announced that the CPA and the AIGCP Men's Team Association had signed an agreement to protect the principles and processes of the UCI Men's Professional Team. The document was signed by Lapartiento along with CPA President Gianni Buño and AIGCP President Ivan Spekenbrink.

The agreement was announced after six men's World Tour teams began negotiating salary reductions for players and staff in response to the COVID-19 crisis, including the CCC team, Astana, Lotto Soudal, Bahrain McLaren, and Mitchelton Scott; the men's team also signed a state aid use, salary reductions, and deferrals were announced.

Mitchelton Scott was the first women's world team to announce that its players had accepted a pay cut. World champion Annemiek van Fruten revealed that she had accepted a "significant" pay cut in order to keep the team alive. This decision was made in light of the fact that the team's title sponsor had been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Other women's teams have yet to announce similar cost-cutting measures, but UNIO president Ronnie Lauke told Cyclingnews that sponsors and companies have been affected by the pandemic, and as a result some women's teams may disappear next year.

Bigla Katusha announced that its future is in jeopardy after receiving notice that both title sponsors have withdrawn their funding. The team launched a fundraising campaign and also requested access to UCI bank guarantees to secure payments to staff and riders.

The bank guarantee is a percentage of the team's total budget that is placed in a blocked account at registration each season. The funds are used by the UCI to protect the rights of riders to receive payments if a team fails to meet its obligations. The team's bank guarantee, which could pay up to three months of a rider's salary, is considered a last resort.

The exceptional measures, including salary reductions, discussed by the UCI, CPA Women and UNIO are intended to "preserve the essential rights of riders and staff while allowing the team to take the necessary measures for its survival."

In addition, such measures will only apply during the COVID-19 epidemic, and the measures will end on the first day of the month when the UCI international road calendar resumes; the UCI recently announced a revised Women's World Tour, with the first race scheduled to take place on August 1.

The agreement also stipulates that the temporary framework is for discussions between the teams and their riders and that such measures are not automatic and require the prior agreement of all parties involved in the contract.

When the UCI announced the general framework for the revision of the Women's World Tour, it announced that an agreement had been reached with the CPA Women and the UNIO.

"The agreement will allow teams facing severe financial difficulties in the midst of a pandemic to take the necessary steps to ensure their survival while protecting the rights of their riders and staff. This measure has already been introduced in men's professional cycling," read the framework.

The published agreement signed between the UCI, CPA and AIGCP for the men's team and extended to the women's team is called 'Safeguarding Principles and Processes for UCI Professional Teams' and contains details of cost-saving measures.

UNIO representatives confirmed that the association agreement that the women's teams and riders will sign with the UCI is the same as the men's agreement, with the addition of specific rights to use the teams' bank guarantees.

"At the request of the UNIO, the UCI has accepted the additional measure of allowing women's teams to use bank guarantees (if the team and all its riders agree to that measure).

For the 2020 season, a new two-team system, World Team and Continental Team, will begin, with a minimum salary of €15,000 (employed) or €24,600 (self-employed) for the top eight teams, plus benefits including social insurance and maternity leave, Higher financial requirements were imposed.

Over the next three years, the UCI aims to gradually increase the number of women's world teams to 15, with a minimum salary equivalent to the men's Professional Continental, which is currently set at €30,855.

La Partiente confirmed that WorldTeam's minimum salary requirements will remain in place this year and in 2021. However, the UCI will evaluate the status of both the men's and women's teams later this year, given the economic impact of the coronavirus on the companies, sponsors, and teams.

"We are very happy with the new reforms he has launched. This minimum salary (requirement) will continue to increase every year and will finally reach the same level as the men's," said Lapartiento.

"As of today [Tuesday], we want to maintain the same minimum salary until 2021. Of course, at the end of the year we will evaluate both men and women. What is the current situation in order to protect as many teams as possible?