Kingston [Jamaica], January 26 : In a groundbreaking development, Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) on Friday signed a new four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), solidifying their commitment to promoting gender pay equity within West Indies cricket.
"The MOU outlines plans to achieve parity in international and regional match fees, international captain's allowances, international team prize money and regional individual prize money for all West Indies cricketers by 1 October 2027," the CWI said in an official statement.
"This strategic initiative is a testament to CWI's dedication to creating a more equitable playing field and fostering an environment where talent is valued irrespective of gender. The MOU also aligns the performance grading criteria for international women's and regional men's contracts with the established standards for international men, ensuring a uniform evaluation process across domestic and international cricket from 1 October 2024," the statement further said.
Last year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared prize money parity in ICC competitions for men's and women's teams, and the West Indies have followed suit, joining a slew of other cricket boards in achieving gender pay fairness.
India, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa have already taken a step in recent times for pay equity among the genders and now CWI are looking to do the same by committing to promoting gender pay equity for all their cricketers over the coming years through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed.
President of Cricket West Indies, Kishore Shallow described the announcement as a watershed moment in the region and a great step forward for all stakeholders in achieving pay fairness in the future.
"This is a historic day for West Indies cricket. As we overhaul the compensation structures and align performance grading, we are taking a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and progressive cricket framework. This step reflects our unwavering commitment to gender equality and acknowledges the immense contributions of female players to West Indies cricket," Shallow said in an official statement.
"In the preceding year, we undertook substantial enhancements to our travel policy, mandating that the West Indies Senior Women's team travel business class on all extended international flights and are accommodated in single rooms during international assignments. This aligns seamlessly with the established policy for West Indies Senior Men's tours. Today, with the signing of this MOU, we take another significant stride in narrowing the gender gap within our cricketing community," he added.
The West Indies feel the change will help "reinforce the region's commitment to building a cricketing landscape that is equitable, diverse, and inclusive," and Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave anticipates more successful performances on the pitch as a consequence.
"We are proud to embark on this journey towards gender pay equity. The significant increases for our female players demonstrate our dedication to rewarding excellence and promoting fairness in our cricketing community. The increases in prize money, greater rewards for our best-performing players and higher match fees for players in the starting XIs are all strategic moves to place a greater emphasis on winning," Grave said.
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