Port of Spain, July 2 (IANS/CMC) Regional cricket players union chief Dinanath Ramnarine is gearing up to spearhead negotiations over the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), despite the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) insistence that it is no longer willing to deal with the combative Trinidadian.
On Thursday, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) announced it had submitted documents to the WICB to begin discussions over the CBA, in keeping with the terms of the agreement.
Ramnarine, at loggerheads with WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire following a stormy meeting in Jamaica recently, said WIPA was keen on getting negotiations underway.
‘WIPA is very committed to the negotiation process and looks forward to playing our part in the advancement of West Indies cricket,’ said Ramnarine, WIPA’s president and CEO.
‘Just as Australia, England and other international jurisdictions have recognised that players’ rights are essential and proportional to performance, what we want is an environment that is sufficiently supportive of the players’ rights and their development to act as catalyst to develop the future of our regional game.’
The latest development sets the stage for another possible showdown especially after the WICB said last month that Ramnarine had not ‘demonstrated any willingness to constructively dialogue with the WICB in the best interest of West Indies cricket’.
This followed a contentious meeting in Kingston to resolve the Chris Gayle selection issue where the WICB accused Ramnarine of behaving in a threatening manner towards their chief executive Ernest Hilaire.
The Board subsequently slammed Ramnarine’s behaviour, noting that it would no longer be communicating with the WIPA top official.
‘Given Dinanath Ramnarine’s threatening action towards Hilaire, and the unprofessional conduct of Ramnarine during a recent meeting on June 14, the Board will no longer engage with Ramnarine on any issue unless there is a change in his behaviour and conduct,’ a WICB media release said recently.
WICB asked WIPA to identify alternative representatives who would negotiate on behalf of the players body.
WIPA said it would not be restricted in who represented the organisation at future meetings with the Board.
Ramnarine and Hilaire have remained at odds in recent weeks, with both calling on each other to apologise for incidents that occurred during the Jamaica meeting.
