PRENDERGAST
THE MEMBERS of the Jamaica Football Referees Association (JFRA) should have little if any reason to be restive this football season.
According to president of the JFRA, Peter Prendergast, the issue of proper compensation for travelling has been sorted out. This he said was achieved by the intervention of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, Crenston Boxhill.
Under the new agreement, referees will be paid the rightful figure of $33.00 per mile or the government rate, an agreement which has been in place since the previous JFF administration. Government had granted an increase in April of 2004, doubling the previous figure of $16.50 per mile.
"We had indicated to the JFF some time ago that we intended for the new rates to be in place this season and it was not happening," Prendergast told The Gleaner recently.
There were a number of meetings and exchange of correspondences between the JFRA and the JFF but nothing was sorted out, according to Prendergast.
"In discussion with JFF general secretary Burchell Gibson, he said the parish associations could not afford it (the new rate) so he wanted to keep it the same and increase the Wray and Nephew National Premier League rate to $25 per mile. I told him it was not acceptable," Prendergast explained.
BOARD AGREES
The matter, Prendergast added, was discussed at a board meeting following which Gibson informed him that the rate of $25 per mile was agreed on by them.
"I then wrote him to let him know that under no circumstances would we accept that. We were not asking for an increase we just wanted them to comply with a long-standing agreement.
"We subsequently sought audience with president Boxhill last month and in about 10 minutes the matter was solved," Prendergast said adding that "... with the parish associations they just meet the basic requirements. We ask that they cover our travel costs".
But, while the JFRA are a happy bunch following the settling of that matter, another could soon come up for discussion.
"We have a difficulty with the use of town centres to calculate journey. Say you live a few miles outside Falmouth in Trelawny and you have to get to Falmouth on your way to the match, the calculation begins at Falmouth.
"That is not how world football works. If I am on FIFA duty, they are responsible from the moment I leave my house until I get back and it is only logical that we follow suit here," said Prendergast, Jamaica's most internationally-recognised referee.
-N.W.
