OLDHAM Athletic’s players have been told they will receive their overdue March wages on Friday as a dispute continues over the club’s use of the Government’s furlough scheme.

Latics chiefs last week acknowledged that monies for last month were late and have now informed their squad they will be received on the day April’s money is due.

As revealed by The Oldham Times, it came as the club announced its intention to furlough its playing staff using the Government’s Job Retention Scheme, those who did accept the plan being warned they would be under threat of redundancy.

The proposal would see players paid 80 per cent of their salaries up to £2,500 per month with the club not topping up wages, meaning cuts that could total 65 per cent for some of the senior members of the squad.

Players’ union the Professional Footballers’ Association are involved in the dispute, with it understood that some squad members were asked to attend meetings over the matter but declined.

Owner Abdallah Lemsagam is currently at home in Dubai with managing director Natalie Atkinson overseeing the club’s day-to-day operations.

The Latics statement confirming their plans last week read: “The Oldham Athletic players will be paid their full March salaries, but with income vastly reduced and no dates for resumption of football, we must limit our outgoings.

“In order to safeguard the future of the club, we have therefore had to take the very difficult decision of furloughing our playing staff. 

“All players have been spoken to individually and as a group to explain the reasoning and how we’ll work with them on the resumption of football to return to normality as quickly as possible.

“Players can decide whether to accept the furlough and should they do so, they’ll receive the full level of Government support and their contracts will remain in place. 

“In the unfortunate instance that furlough is rejected, normal employment practice decrees that they are placed at risk of redundancy. We must stress that this is a last resort and we are continuing discussions with all players and their agents to avoid this outcome for any player.”

The majority of Latics’ non-playing staff, including boss Dino Maamria, have been on furlough since the end of March.

Speaking earlier this month Maamria told The Oldham Times: “We’re in a situation, certainly with our football club, where we need every penny.

“We’ve been struggling financially and I didn’t hesitate when asked the question, I accepted it straight away just for the good of the football club.

“It’s important that the football club survives and if that’s going to hit me in the pocket it is what it is.

“I’ve got to look at the big picture, it’s not a time to do the selfish thing.”

Latics only staved off the threat of administration on March 6, Lemsagam taken to court by Boundary Park landlords Brassbank over a debt in the region of £600,000. 

But after negotiations in the run up to the court case, the hearing in Manchester was adjourned with Lemsagam saying an “in-principle agreement” was in place for him to buy the stadium from the group part-owned by former chairman Simon Blitz.