Dehring hints at staff salary reductions, says it’s not just players ‘feeling the pinch’

Following Cricket West Indies’ announcement that contracted players will lose 25% of their annual retainer contracts, CEO Chris Dehring reiterated that every operational cost of the organisation is being evaluated.

In CWI’s stakeholder address, issued on their YouTube channel on September 24, where the changes were first disclosed, Dehring hinted at potential salary reductions for their staff in a “strive to improve operating efficiency."

“Every expense line item of Cricket West Indies operations is also being actively reviewed and reduced,” Dehring said at the time. He expounded on the complication days later in an interview with Cricinfo.

“Obviously, concerning the staff, we have labour laws, contracts, etc., given that they're unionised. So we have to go through certain processes, including consultations with the union in Antigua, which we have had. But there is no expense line item untouched.

“There's an entire re-engineering of the operation taking place. And it's something that we assured the players, too, that they don't want to know that it's just them that are feeling the pinch,” Dehring explained.

The incoming changes for CWI staff might not be limited to pay cuts and could include downsizing, as Dehring also revealed that the Board has “brought international consulting firm Teneo on board to conduct an organisational review.”

Dehring again told Cricinfo that CWI is “keen to ensure that we were not just cutting payments to players and cricket but that we were truly re-organising the entire operation. 

“We have even brought on board Teneo to thoroughly examine the organization from head to toe, as we are serious about creating greater efficiency to deal with the new paradigm impacting world cricket.”

CWI also cancelled this year’s Men’s Super50 and next year’s Women’s Super50 and T20 Blaze competitions. The CEO called this “a necessary step to financial stability.”