BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):
WEST INDIES Players' Association (WIPA) president and CEO, Dinanath Ramnarine has given the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) until today to settle outstanding players' contracts issues, the Daily Nation has reported.
Ramnarine, who has been involved in several bruising battles with the WICB over players' contracts within the last year, also said that if the outstanding issues were not resolved, WIPA would "look at our options".
"We have been writing and calling (the WICB) day after day and nothing much," Ramnarine said. "The third Test starts on Thursday and we want to sort out this matter by Wednesday, otherwise we have to look at our options.
"You can't continue to take the players for granted. We have shown good faith and goodwill but you cannot continue to do it forever."
PLEADING
Ramnarine said he has been pleading with the WICB to sort out the much-talked about retainer contracts, along with issues pertaining to the match/tour contracts but had failed to get a response from officials.
"We are interested in resolving the matter but we are not getting a response from the WICB," the former Test legspinner contended.
"We had asked for a meeting by Tuesday and we have heard nothing. We are hoping to have the matter sorted out by Wednesday. We have had not feedback from the board about having a meeting."
He continued: "People have accused us of being militant in the past, but we have written the WICB many, many times. "If the WICB staff was working without contracts, would they go to work? Then why must players play without contracts ands act as if nothing is wrong."
In April, WICB president Ken Gordon announced an end to the contracts impasse after lengthy negotiations with WIPA.
