Valletta hawkers dig their heels in

There will be no market in Valletta again today as the clash between the hawkers and the government over the market's relocation was still unresolved yesterday.

Around 120 monti hawkers are refusing to move to St James' Ditch near the Valletta bus terminus until Merchants Street is paved, claiming that moving outside Valletta would be a blow for their business.

As part of the plans to pedestrianise Valletta's inner streets, the government also wants the market to move further down Merchants Street in front of Ixtri Malta, a decision which is also being opposed by the hawkers.

Yesterday morning, the hawkers parked their vans at St James' Ditch, unrolled a long carpet which they said signified the way they were being treated by the authorities and passed the time playing football.

They expressed anger at the government's decision to move them from Merchants Street, which came as a consequence of the street's closure to traffic upon the introduction of the controlled vehicle access (CVA) to Valletta.

The hawkers have been told to use the space outside the capital - where they usually set up their stands on Sunday - until Merchants Street is paved. By July, the open market should be able to operate again from the centre of Valletta even if the paving works would still not be completed.

But the hawkers don't believe the government will complete the work on time fearing they will suffer as a result.

The Union Haddiema Maghqudin, which is representing the hawkers in talks with the government, said it was unacceptable that the authorities were offering no explanation to justify moving the market a block down Merchants Street.

The main objection to being moved towards the lower part of Merchants Street was that the site being proposed by the government was too small.

In talks with the government, the hawkers have asked to be temporarily relocated to Freedom Square instead of St James' Ditch where they would suffer financially, UHM secretary-general Gejtu Vella said yesterday.

Mr Vella claimed no proper consultation had taken place because hawkers had been offered a done deal, with the government telling them to "take it or leave it".

"The impression being given by the way the government is treating the issue is that hawkers' business is not as important as other business. We are talking here of the livelihoods of 120 families, and we will not give in," Mr Vella told The Times yesterday.

In a meeting held yesterday between the union and Edwin Vassallo, parliamentary secretary for the self-employed, it emerged clearly that both the hawkers and the government were dead set on their stands and were unwilling to concede anything.

Mr Vella said the UHM would be meeting the hawkers at 8 a.m. today to discuss what further measures should be taken by those who want to safeguard their livelihood.

In a press briefing, a spokesman for the Investments Ministry overseeing the CVA system said that the hawkers' main objection to moving down along Merchants' Street was that many had stalls which took up more space than permitted by law, some being more than double the legal size.

"Stalls which are bigger than the legally stipulated sizes would not fit in the new market place," the spokesman said, adding that this was the root of the problem and the temporary relocation was simply a side issue.

The hawkers' argument that St James' Ditch was outside Valletta was "superfluous". Besides being a temporary measure, the site was close to the bus terminus, the MCP car park and on the pathway of cruise passengers walking to Valletta.

The authorities were prepared to set up a stop for Park and Ride shuttle buses as well as a bus stop there. Contrary to what the hawkers claimed, discussions had been going on for two years but the hawkers were not prepared for any change, the spokesman said.

Labour's spokesman for commerce and the self-employed, Joe Sammut, said the MLP was closely following the issue and sympathised with the hawkers' cause.

"What the hawkers are going through is the latest case of a Nationalist government failing to keep its promises," Dr Sammut said, adding that the MLP would seek a solution, following serious discussions, that would be acceptable to all those involved.