WIPA: 'Let's Get a Mediator'

The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) is again calling on the WICB to return to the negotiation table, with or without an independent mediator.

Reacting to the WICB's insistence that a controversial clause covering player endorsements won't be removed from the match/tour contract, WIPA said it "wholly believes that the players can fulfil their respective obligations and maintain their right to personal endorsement without conflict."

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West Indies Players Association (WIPA) announce that while it has reached agreement with the WICB on a number of the issues in contention, with regard to finalising the proposed Match Tour Contract for the coming Australian tour, several matters remain unresolved and the Board is adamant that the players should sign regardless.

This progress had been reached after a 14-hour meeting ,which began at 1 pm on Thursday and ended Friday 19 at 5 a m. Further progress could not have been made because the WICB team had to report to a meeting of the WICB executive later that day in Barbados.

WIPA recognising the time constraints proposed several options to the WICB to ensure that the progress of negotiations would not be compromised and the e camp planned by the WICB would not be in jeopardy.

The WICB team could not agree to WIPA?s eminently reasonable proposals but promised that they would communicate them to the WICB Executive for its decision.

Regrettably the WICB at its Executive meeting on Friday refused WIPA?s offer of continued dialogue and has insisted that the players must sign or else not be eligible for selection. This is yet another example of the WICB?s Executive non adherence to good industrial relations, and is an act of bad faith.

Key among the outstanding issues is the Board?s failure to recognise the players? personal endorsement rights and those obligations which a player may assign to the WICB but only in his capacity as a member of the West Indies team.

WIPA?s position is that the Board wants to unilaterally assume indefinite ownership of the players? endorsement rights and is effectively threatening to ban them from working (participating in the tour) if the players do not immediately concede.

In our negotiations with the WICB, the WICB agreed that for the upcoming Australian tour there would be no difficulty with the sponsor. In WIPA?s view it is clear that the WICB is attempting to us the terms of the Australian tour contract as a precedent for all future contracts, including the proposed retainer contract. This is unacceptable.

WIPA wholly believes that the players can fulfil their respective obligations and maintain their right to personal endorsement without conflict.

The deadlock is detrimental to team morale and indeed the relationship between the players and the board as the players are fully committed to playing for the West Indies and capitalising in the momentum of the recent ICC Trophy success, an accomplishment to which no other West Indies team can lay claim.

It is regrettable that players are being asked to forego their right to personal endorsement (their only other source of income) and to transfer outright, these to the board without compensation.

In the spirit of compromise, WIPA invites the WICB to reconvene a meeting within 48 hours with or without the assistance of an independent mediator to resolve all outstanding issues, well in advance of the November 28 training camp.