PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Regional players seem set for a tidy payday after the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) announced on Tuesday that it had won its latest arbitration with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Dinanath Ramnarine, executive president of the regional players’ union, disclosed that the WICB will have to pay in the vicinity of US$2 million for a breach of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The breach pertains to both WICB and WIPA deciding on match conditions and the number of matches played by the players.

“I hope that after this costly ruling for the WICB, they agree to negotiate matters with WIPA in the best interest of West Indies cricket because there are many more matters to be dealt with,” said Ramnarine at a news conference on Tuesday.

“This is the 10th arbitration that WIPA has won, as compared to WICB’s zero.”

Senior Counsel Jairam Seenath, the arbitrator in the case, said in his judgement that the provisions of the CBA and the MOU should “not be trifled with since a breach of them may cause serious (and sometimes irreparable) damage”.

“The damages flowing from such a breach is a natural and foreseeable consequence — pacta sunt servanda (contracts are to be kept),” he said.

The CBA and MOU required both parties to discuss and agree to the annual schedule for regional and international matches, the number of games, dates, location/venues, travel and accommodation.

The award included US$728,000 representing loss of earnings by the players for the regional four-day tournament; 40 per cent of the gross receipts for an additional T20 match two years ago between West Indies and South Africa and the Caribbean T20 in July 2010; US$100,000 for a loss of sponsorship opportunity for WIPA, as well as WIPA’s legal costs.

The WICB is expected to appeal the outcome of the decision.