A move in the right direction (17 November 1998)

17 November 1998

A move in the right direction

Tony Becca

The West Indies Cricket Board's ordinary general meeting in Antigua was dominated, as expected, by the recent impasse between the Board and the players, and it is good to see that efforts are being made by the Board to improve relationships with the players.

According to president Pat Rousseau, a firm of industrial relations consultants will be employed to advise the Board on how to deal with delicate issues and disputes, and that is good news.

Regardless of who was right and who was wrong, the impasse tarnished the image of West Indies cricket, it proved, beyond a doubt, that there is no love lost between the administration and the players, and in the interest of West Indies cricket something must be done about it.

The Board has made its move, but as the popular saying goes, one hand cannot clap, and hopefully the players will also look at themselves, and in the interest of West Indies cricket, play their part in ensuring that there is good relationship between themselves and the Board.

The future of West Indies cricket depends on a good relation between the Board and the players.

West Indies cricket, for example, needs a Board which will do two things - fully understand the player's demand for better pay and get its administrative staff to be more efficient, and players who will appreciate three things - the fact that the Board, like any other employee, cannot pay out what it does not have, because of its responsibility to the development of the game in the region, it cannot pay out all it has to them, and that the Board's ability to earn, through gate receipt, television fees, and sponsorship, depends on their performance on and off the field.

Speaking on Saturday after the two-day meeting, Rousseau also said that the West Indies Players' Association has applied for membership to the Board and that the consultants will be looking into what form it would take.

Apart from the fact that the constitution will have to be revisited to accommodate WIPA as a member, consideration should also be given to membership in WIPA. Right now, membership to WIPA is limited to Test players.

As the West Indies Players' Association, however, there are many reasons why it should be open to all first class players in the region.

One of those reasons is that it would then be truly representative of the players in the region, another is that it could bargain for those players with little clout - those players who represent the territories in the regional competitions, and still another is this: when it bargains for the Test players, it will not appear, as it did in the recent impasse, that the Test players are using their clout selfishly.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)