The West Indies Players Association (WIPA) is taking legal action against the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), seeking at least US$20 million in damages for players’ loss of earnings as well as compensation due to breaches of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The other issue of contention is the WICB’s restriction of trade.
WIPA is charging that the regional cricket governing body deliberately restricted their players’ ability to ply their trade in overseas leagues and in return benefited from doing so.
The players’ body highlighted three cases involving Trinidad and Tobago’s Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard as well as Jamaican batsman Chris Gayle, who they claimed did not receive timely manner unconditional No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the board despite not having a retainer contract with the said body.
WIPA wants the WICB to declare that their refusal “to issue an unconditional certificate No Objection Certificate to a player that has not been contracted by the WICB to play cricket on its behalf and without a guarantee of lost earnings, is unreasonable, oppressive, illegal contrary to public policy and constitutes an unlawful restraint of trade” and breached the CBA and MOU signed on Sept. 4, 2006.
WIPA is therefore seeking damages for several players who they believe suffered major loss of earnings as a direct result of WICB’s hesitancy or alleged unwillingness to issue unconditional NOCs.
WIPA noted that several players including former West Indies Captain Chris Gayle were not able to secure lucrative three-year contracts with Indian Premier League (IPL) clubs because of this.
