By Saju Ng’alla
SKABA National Basketball League came to crashing halt when on Tuesday the league’s referees went on strike.
However, by Thursday the matter was resolved and basketball action resumed.
The strike was sanctioned by the St. Kitts-Nevis Basketball Referee Association.
Referees complained that they were not getting paid for their services.
Referees demanded $20 per game, with desk officials getting a collective pool of $50 per night.
With about 23 games being played per month, the association proposed that SKABA pay about $3,000 per month to the association. For the season, SKABA would have to pay more than $10,000.
The Referees Association had made a written request on this matter on April 23. However, up until the day of the strike, the association said they had not received a reply from the executive board of SKABA.
Also, the Referees Association pointed out that two months ago, a referee — Derek Sprouse — was attacked by a player during a game and had to be hospitalized.
The association asked SKABA for financial assistance for medical and court fees, security at the games and insurance for the referees.
On Wednesday representatives of the association met with SKABA’s executive to resolve the matter.
According to a SKABA official an agreement has been reached, and detail of that agreement would be released at a later date
