PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Regional players union WIPA said Monday there had been no need for it to accept an offer by the International Cricket Council to solve the impasse with the West Indies Cricket Board, when there was already an agreement in place to do so.
WIPA, which is headed by president and chief executive Dinanath Ramnarine, was responding to charges by the WICB at the weekend that it had rejected an offer from the cricket’s world governing body, ICC, to help solve the long-running dispute.
The players’ body said that under the New York Agreement struck last October, both parties had already settled on Special Binding Arbitrations for solving the contentious issues which have rocked the Caribbean’s premier sport in recent years.
“Mindful of the acceptance of the recommendations of the CARICOM Prime-Ministerial Sub-Committee on cricket of 11th September 2009 by both WIPA and the WICB, (under) the agreement brokered by CARICOM and the New York Agreement, the WICB and WIPA agreed to two Special Binding Arbitrations which are due to be heard shortly before a panel of distinguished Caribbean jurists,” the WIPA release said.
“WIPA fully respects and is willing to submit to the decision of the Arbitration Panel appointed by CARICOM, win or lose. It appears that the WICB is having second thoughts.
“WIPA does not intend to breach these agreements to go to non-binding negotiations/mediation with the ICC and Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA).”
Referring to the bitter impasse last year that forced the top players onto the sidelines, WIPA argued that mediation had been tried then under Sir Shridath Ramphal and had failed.
Therefore, WIPA said it had conveyed it position on non-binding mediation to both the ICC and FICA who had “understood and respected WIPA’s view” on the matter.
“However, WIPA did inform the ICC and FICA that it would be happy to have their assistance with a number of other outstanding matters,” the players’ body said.
In a statement on Saturday, the WICB accused WIPA of favouring arbitration and urged them to reconsider the ICC/FICA offer.