When is a contract not a contract?
Answer: When it is written on WICB headed paper.The latest twist in the saga of the WICB is that the coach of the international team, John Dyson, has been relieved of his duties. I’m not sure whether you can say he has been sacked because, according to the WICB (West Indies Cricket Board), he never signed a contract, this being their stated reason for removing him.
At first glance, this would seem reasonable – if an employee works 18 months without signing a contract, any employee would start to worry about what they were leaving themselves open to. But, when you consider that the dispute with the international team players was due to unsigned contracts, you have to think again.
Although dispute has been rumbling on for some time, the current round is being fought over players’ retainer contracts, which have remained unsigned since 2008. WIPA (West Indies Players Association) are unhappy with the terms of the contracts, and WICB are unbudging, stating in reply that WIPA are being unreasonable.
So does this tie in with the John Dyson situation? At present it is hard to say, and as yet Dyson himself has remained quiet on the matter.
Meanwhile, the talks between the two parties and the mediators have broken down after WICB presented a new set of non-negotiable requirements on the penultimate day, which WIPA were not prepared to accept. Arbitration is the likely next step.
Whilst the players and the board are at loggerheads, West Indian cricket is swiftly disappearing down the tubes. A severely weakened team will be sent to the Champions Trophy, and possibly in the tour to Australia in November as well. This follows the home defeat to Bangladesh, West Indies again being without their international regulars.
As this dispute is likely to rumble on for the foreseeable future, you wonder just how much worse it will get.
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