CCC team riders are trying to fight back against proposed pay cuts.

In early April, the Jim Ochowicz-led team announced that it would temporarily lay off most of its support staff and "significantly reduce" riders' salaries, citing the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its title sponsor, CCC.

However, these pay cuts have not yet been finalized, and the team confirmed to Cycling News on Friday that negotiations between riders and team management are ongoing.

According to Italy's Spazio Ciclismo (opens in new tab), Fausto Masnada, one of the team's riders, explained that he rejected the proposed pay cuts.

"It is not a positive situation. We riders got together with our lawyer and proposed to the team to meet our half," Masnada said. [The situation the team presented was really critical and it was impossible to accept their request. At that point, we have come up with a counter-proposal and are waiting for their response."

The team did not confirm whether salaries were paid as usual at the end of April, but insisted that they were working to resolve the situation within a few days.

"I think in a few days we will have an answer as to whether they have accepted our offer," Masnada said. 'If so, we will be able to set a timetable for them to begin training with real goals.'

The CCC team has been hit hard by the pandemic and race interruptions, and Polish newspapers have reported in detail on the financial woes of the Polish footwear company, CCC. Billionaire owner Dariusz Mirek has closed stores, and its stock price and earnings have plummeted. The team is now operating with a skeleton crew of employees, leaving most of the non-rider staff temporarily unemployed.

Last week, the Polish financial website Bankier reported that part of the plan to close the books includes "the closure of activities related to sports sponsorships signed for 2020-2021. This poses an imminent threat to the future of the CCC teams and the CCC-Liv women's team, which had sponsorship agreements with CCC.

"To date, the team's intention is to finish the season and participate once racing resumes," Masnada added. As for the future, they haven't said anything yet."

Before the pay cut was announced, Greg Van Avermaat said he was willing to give up part of his salary, but hoped that "solidarity" would be rewarded and that the CCC would commit to extending its sponsorship of the team it saved from its own collapse at the end of 2018.