WICB CEO, Bruce Aanensen
The current impasse between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and West Indies Players Association (WIPA) could potentially result in WIPA calling a strike and the tour to England being cancelled.
At issue is whether the upcoming tour, which starts in under 2 weeks, is part of the ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP). Any tours outside of the FTP would require additional negotiations and more pay according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between WICB and WIPA. According to cricinfo.com, the WICB had previously agreed with WIPA that the tour was outside of the FTP, but had only recently arrived at its current position that the England tour was part of the FTP and hence the players should get no extra money.
The dispute has been put before an arbitrator in Barbados, whose ruling will be binding. However the arbitrator, Barbados Chief Justice David Simmons is not expected to rule before the departure date for the team on May 8th.
WICB CEO Bruce Aanensen (pictured above) is confident that the tour will go ahead however, with or without the regular players. He believes that the MoU precludes players who have retainer contracts from going on strike while a dispute has been referred to an arbitrator. He also states that in the event of a strike, the WICB will "move to the next set of players until we get a team of 15".
Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA President, apparently feels that all the players are entitled to strike and seems determined to go that route if he has to. This would not be the first time that WIPA has striked, as WIPA called a players strike in 2003 on the first day of the Carib Beer semi final and in 2005 advised 10 player not to go on the tour to Sri Lanka, resulting in a undermanned Windies team that lost almost all its matches and by big margins.
If cricinfo.com is correct, then the WICB would be going back on its word in an attempt not to pay the players the extra money that they had previously agreed was due to them. If this is the case then Ramnarine and WIPA would certainly feel justified in calling a strike so as not to cave in to the WICB. Remember that this would not be the first time that the WICB would have resorted to questionable practices in its relationship with the players. However, is Ramnarine really prepared to strike for extra pay after the sorry performances that the Windies turned in at the World Cup?
The unfortunate truth is that both WIPA and WICB seem to care more about the financial bottom line for themselves than about West Indies cricket. New coach, new captain, new team, it won't make a difference if the WICB and WIPA can't agree to put the common interest of West Indies cricket and its millions of passionate fans ahead of their own bank accounts.
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