Windies board chief vows to end feud with players

West Indies Cricket Board president Julian Hunte has vowed to put an end to the tribal warfare that has constantly engulfed negotiations between his organisation and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA).

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Julian Hunte has vowed to put an end to the tribal warfare that has constantly engulfed negotiations between his organisation and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA).

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Hunte insisted that the WICB would not yield to WIPA's go-as-you-please approach to negotiations, and would seek to develop a proper system of consultation between the two sides.

"We have been trying to negotiate with WIPA and somehow we cannot get them in between series to come to the table and negotiate," said Hunte in a radio interview in Trinidad.

"Before a series starts, there will be a flurry of activity, and then they will want to meet to negotiate. This is not good industrial relations practice, and we are going to put a stop to this once and for all."

He added: "When I took up the position as president, I inherited these problems with WIPA, but I can assure you that I am not going to leave it for anyone who replaces me to deal with.

"This has come to a head, and it must stop. This is damaging to West Indies cricket and these problems before tours and during tours must be eliminated."

A long-running feud between the WICB and the players sparked industrial action by the West Indies squad of 13 named last Monday for the first Test against Bangladesh in Kingstown.