(Trinidad Express) West Indies cricket did not have a merry Christmas, with several outstanding issues in the air, most notably the love/hate relationship between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).
And mediation looks like the best hope for bringing closure to most of these outstanding matters, according to WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire.
In 2011, a number of issues affected the already strained relations between the parties. Hard-hitting Jamaican opener Chris Gayle is in the WICB’s “bad books” over comments he made about the Board and team management. Since then, he has not been selected for the regional team.
There has also been public wrangling between the Board and WIPA, which led to the Players Association filing an injunction last month to stop the Board from terminating the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU)/collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which expired on November 31.
That matter is due to be heard in January and the WIPA injunction will remain in place until then. Current negotiations, too, have been affected and with no compromise in sight, mediation may be the next step.
WIPA has also accused the WICB of targeting senior players such as Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who are also supporters of the players body.
“Quite a lot of energy and effort have been trying to sort out the issues in front of us,” Hilaire told the Express on Friday in a telephone interview.
“(We need) to bring some clarity to some of the issues…that third party interventions will be necessary. I’m thinking in 2012 we need once and for all to define the landscape in West Indies cricket. So we’ll be looking forward to third party intervention.”
To get to the last agreement between WICB and WIPA in 2009—which followed a full first-team player strike for the home tour against Bangladesh—the parties needed an intervention by Caricom, after mediation involving former Commonwealth secretary general Sir Shridath Ramphal ended in a stalemate and more controversy.
But, to Hilaire, a third party intervention is the likeliest next step.
“We have been negotiating since last year, some matters we haven’t been able to resolve,” said the WICB CEO.
Hilaire is also concerned about the hits the WICB’s image has taken over the years through its public disagreements with the players.
“It’s a very painful (situation) to try to resolve,” he explained. “On one hand you want to conduct your business in a particular way. You don’t want to get involved in a public row and (be arguing) back and forth and (wondering) who is releasing this document. Sometimes it doesn’t work in your advantage.”
Still, Hilaire is hopeful some progress can be made on these issues, and says although the Board has to continue to improve, showing all its cards and responding to every critique may not be the best approach.
“I’ve come to the acceptance already that you cannot please everybody.” Hilaire stated.
“…In a region like ours that is diverse and separated, there will always be someone who is not satisfied with a decision and they will make (complain) about it. But you still have to do what is right.”
