WICB/WIPA ceasefire threatened by distrust
Tue, Mar 11, '08
by RYAN NARAINE
On the day the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is expected to release the squad for the home series against Sri Lanka, there are rumblings that the board's tenuous alliance with WIPA is hanging by a string.
The two sides have not yet reached an agreement over sponsorship splits for the recent tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa and even as a WICB/WICB meeting later this week is slated to discuss terms for the upcoming series, players are already complaining about being given contracts before terms are even negotiated.
The WICB and WIPA have set to meet on March 12 and 13 (this week) to hammer out an agreement on a share of sponsorship money, match and tour fees and other conditions but, as one player told CaribbeanCricket.com, the WICB has already sent contracts directly to the cricketers chosen for the Sri Lanka series.
"I'm not sure what to do with this," one senior player said in an interview, referring to a match/tour contract received from the WICB. The player, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic, said he was told by his local board to have the contract signed by Friday.
"It wasn't really a threat to sign-or-else but it just felt like the old way of doing things," he said.
West Indies cricketers have been without retainer contracts since last September, which means they are effectively free agents working for the board of a series-by-series basis. The WICB and WIPA have not had any meaningful discussions on renewing the retainer contracts but, again, the player said the board has been approaching players individually about signing retainer renewals.
"I think they've sent out contracts behind WIPA's back about five different times. More of the same, man," the player said.
WICB president Julian Hunte confirmed that contracts were sent to players ahead of this week's meeting with WIPA but insisted this is an effort to "avoid undue delay and ensure that all parties in the negotiating process are well informed and responsive."
"The reason for this initiative is to give players time to read the lengthy 44 page contracts so that when agreement has been reached with WIPA, the players would already have the contracts in their possession. This would expedite the signing process," Hunte said in an e-mail exchange with CaribbeanCricket.com.
He said that any changes in the contract as a result of the negotiations will be sent immediately via electronic mail to the Territorial Boards for passing on to the players.
"The letters sent to players informing them of their selection on the squad, also inform them that the contract negotiations between WIPA and WICB were taking place on March 12, 2008. Players usually will wait for their representative to advise them before signing, and so having the contract in advance is only meant to expedite the process. The WICB does not anticipate any problems in concluding the negotiations," Hunte added.
He explained that the series against Sri Lanka (as the following one against Australia) is within the ICC's Future Tours Programme and is covered by the MOU with WIPA, meaning it's not an "additional tour" that requires brand new match/tour terms and conditions.
"Additionally, the WIPA President now sits on the Board and is familiar with the financial status of the Board and should therefore be able to negotiate in good faith within a reasonable time-frame. In recent time both WIPA and WICB have worked together to resolve outstanding issues," Hunte added.
CaribbeanCricket.com has also confirmed that players have not yet been paid their share of Digicel sponsorship money for the recent tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
A recent report on the RadioJamaica.com Web site said the WICB is offering US$190,000 to approximately 20 players while WIPA has countered proposed a fee of $650,000.
It is not yet clear why the WICB and WIPA did not sort out this issue before going on tour.