By . Mark Guidi . Scotland's referees have gone to war with the SPFL after demanding a pay rise – and it could lead to the whistlers voting on strike action. With Rangers, Hibs and Hearts now in the Championship, match officials have claimed it is unfair for them to receive only the £195 standard rate for handling second-tier games while Premiership matches pay out a whopping £840. Now they have asked for a massive hike to bring them into line with top-flight payments. Marching orders: Referees in Scotland may refuse to take to the pitch if the dispute is not resolved . Talks between the authorities inside Hampden and James Bee, chairman of the Scottish Senior Football Referees Association (SSRFA), have reached an impasse but negotiations may well re-open later this week. With finances already tight due to the absence of a sponsor for the football leagues, the SPFL feel it would be wrong to rubber-stamp any pay increases. Instead, they have suggested to the SSRFA that they redistribute the annual pot and categorise games - which would see the £840 payment reduced in order to facilitate an increase for other fees. For example, a Hearts v Rangers Championship game would be a Category A game and receive around £700 but a Premiership game between Hamilton and Ross County would be Category B and be paid £335. Final whistle: With clubs like Rangers and Hibs in the second tier officials claim they should be paid more . But the SSRFA do not agree with that logic and are holding out for a significant overall pay hike for all Championship games, including fixtures such as Cowdenbeath v Alloa. The last resort would be for Bee and his colleagues to vote on the issue which could result in them pulling out of games. It is understood, however, that they only have around 60 per cent of match officials in their union and the bulk are Category Two and Three. All parties do not want a repeat of November 2010 when referees voted to go on strike after claiming they were being subjected to a barrage of criticism and having their integrity called into question by senior members within the game. They had some sympathy back then but it’s unlikely that would be the case this time as many football fans will consider them well enough paid at the moment. Hands up, who want more money? Craig Thompson took charge of Rangers' game with Hearts last weekend .
Second tier referees paid just £195-per-game .
This season's Championship will feature Hibs, Hearts and Rangers .
Officials believe they should be paid more as division grows in profile .
By . Mark Guidi . Scotland's referees have gone to war with the SPFL after demanding a pay rise – and it could lead to the whistlers voting on strike action. With Rangers, Hibs and Hearts now in the Championship, match officials have claimed it is unfair for them to receive only the £195 standard rate for handling second-tier games while Premiership matches pay out a whopping £840. Now they have asked for a massive hike to bring them into line with top-flight payments. Marching orders: Referees in Scotland may refuse to take to the pitch if the dispute is not resolved . Talks between the authorities inside Hampden and James Bee, chairman of the Scottish Senior Football Referees Association (SSRFA), have reached an impasse but negotiations may well re-open later this week. With finances already tight due to the absence of a sponsor for the football leagues, the SPFL feel it would be wrong to rubber-stamp any pay increases. Instead, they have suggested to the SSRFA that they redistribute the annual pot and categorise games - which would see the £840 payment reduced in order to facilitate an increase for other fees. For example, a Hearts v Rangers Championship game would be a Category A game and receive around £700 but a Premiership game between Hamilton and Ross County would be Category B and be paid £335. Final whistle: With clubs like Rangers and Hibs in the second tier officials claim they should be paid more . But the SSRFA do not agree with that logic and are holding out for a significant overall pay hike for all Championship games, including fixtures such as Cowdenbeath v Alloa. The last resort would be for Bee and his colleagues to vote on the issue which could result in them pulling out of games. It is understood, however, that they only have around 60 per cent of match officials in their union and the bulk are Category Two and Three. All parties do not want a repeat of November 2010 when referees voted to go on strike after claiming they were being subjected to a barrage of criticism and having their integrity called into question by senior members within the game. They had some sympathy back then but it’s unlikely that would be the case this time as many football fans will consider them well enough paid at the moment. Hands up, who want more money? Craig Thompson took charge of Rangers' game with Hearts last weekend .
strike action. With Rangers, Hibs and Hearts now in the second tier officials claim they should be paid more . But the SSRFA do not agree with that