CARICOM HAS INTERVENED in the bitter contracts dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), and has rolled out a six-point plan in a bid to end the long-running feud that has crippled regional cricket.

The move comes following the breakdown last week of mediation talks headed by eminent Caribbean diplomat Sir Shridath Ramphal.

With no end in sight to the dispute, CARICOM's Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee (PMSC) on cricket said it had decided to step in to save West Indies cricket from total ruin.

Thus on Friday evening, a special meeting via video-conferencing was convened and chaired by current CARICOM chairman President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana.

"The current situation, if not resolved immediately, will no doubt destroy the fabric on which to base any hope of reviving the region's standing in international cricket, or building a solid future for West Indies cricket," a release from CARICOM said late Friday night.

"It is under these circumstances that the PMSC has decided to intervene in the process at this time and make recommendations on a feasible way forward."

Yesterday evening, WIPA issued a statement expressing support for the initiative being taken by CARICOM leaders.

Recommendations

Meanwhile, the recommendations from the meeting have already been forwarded by the CARICOM Secretariat to all Heads of Government with a view to convening a special "stakeholders meeting" at the "earliest practical date to discuss the future of West Indies cricket . . .".

The meeting emphasised that the main concern of the Heads of Government was restoring the image and status of West Indies cricket regionally and internationally.

As a result, CARICOM has made recommendations which they hope will bring an end to the dispute which has led to depleted West Indies teams being selected for recent series.

The meeting disclosed the following points in the quest for a speedy resolution:

* Players represented by WIPA will make themselves available for selection in accordance with normal WICB requirements, in particular participation in the regional tournaments;

* WICB to agree to the television/image rights fees (sponsor's fees) traditionally paid to players pending the special arbitration on this issue to facilitate the signing of retainer contracts by October 1, 2009;

* WICB and WIPA to agree on the implementation of the proposed special arbitration process provided for in the mediator's draft agreement (that is, on team rights and the India tour): and

* best efforts to be made by the CARICOM Secretariat, in the first instance, to facilitate the resolution of other oustanding issues proposed by the WICB and WIPA, or the pursuit of arbitration, if necessary, but that such a process does not delay the return of West Indies cricket to normalcy;

* the WICB to inform the International Cricket Council (ICC) of the action taken by CARICOM governments with the objective of returning West Indies cricket to its accustomed place in world cricket, in consonance with the highest traditions of the sport as upheld by the ICC; and that;

* the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Cricket "will monitor compliance with the abovementioned agreed measures based on periodic reports from the CARICOM Secretariat".

The dispute has decimated the regional team, leading to a makeshift squad being selected for the recent Bangladesh series and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa after the leading players made themselves unavailable because of contract issues.

Talks broke down

CARICOM chairman Jagdeo had brokered a deal to bring both parties to the bargaining table, but the subsequent talks chaired by Sir Shridath broke down last week.

The situation worsened this week, with the WICB opting to continue disciplinary action against players who had made themselves unavailable, and WIPA advising these players to seek legal action.

Countries participating in the video-conferencing were Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Also participating was Sir Shridath. (RS/CMC)