Mediation efforts between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indian Players Association (WIPA) in a pay dispute collapsed at the brink of resolution, officials said late Tuesday. Former Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Shridath Ramphal, who had been appointed to mediate the mess, warned that the feared labor shutdown might happen as a result of the breakdown in talks. “It was another bad day for West Indian cricket which, without fundamental changes, is now likely to deteriorate further,” Ramphal said in a statement from the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (Caricom) headquarters. The latest dispute erupted in July when 13 of the leading West Indies players made themselves unavailable for the first Test against Bangladesh in St. Vincent, citing pay and contract issues. Ramphal was appointed mediator on July 21 after current Caricom chairman and Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo met with top representatives of both sides. The mediator said the sides had been close to a deal a day earlier but talks were derailed after one side tabled a new draft agreement, not making any more details public on the sticking points. Ramphal invoked assistance “of various kinds to make implementation of the agreement feasible. However, all that changed dramatically when one party introduced an entirely new document and refused to negotiate on any other.” Jagdeo, in his own statement, said he was “disappointed to learn of the failure” of WICB and WIPA to reach agreement but added, “I am not wholly surprised.” “Caricom governments will have to consider what next to do to save West Indies cricket, and West Indians everywhere, from still further humiliation,” Jagdeo said. Jagdeo blamed the WICB for failing to disclose to him and the WIPA that the board had already selected a “B” team for the Champions Trophy in South Africa and hinted it was the WICB board that demanded a new document be considered. “The President (of the board) later apologized for the omission but the damage had been done. Mediation was weakened from the start,” Jagdeo said. “Now, it seems that the mediation has been the victim of the same spirit of board insistence on getting its own way whatever the consequences for our cricket. The announcement did not indicate whether it was the board or the players. According to the players, they played without contracts for most of this year, alleging they weren't paid, didn't have injuries taken care of, and weren't consulted when the board agreed to tour England in April as a substitution side. Warning to striking players West Indies cricketers who have been on strike must play in an annual limited overs tournament in Guyana in late October to qualify for selection for future series, a top official said Wednesday. Chetram Singh, president of the Guyana Cricket Board, told reporters Wednesday that star players must suit up for the tournament in Guyana beginning Oct. 27 or be deemed ineligible for selection for upcoming series, including a highly anticipated clash with Australia in November. “The players must play in Guyana or they will not be picked for any tours,” Singh said.
