Hawkers who set up their stalls every day in Merchants Street, Valletta, cannot wait to move to Ordinance Street, saying business is at its worst in their present location.

They said that like other workers and self-employed, they had families to sustain.

The hawkers told Times of Malta yesterday that the Government had finally listened to their pleas to move towards the centre of the capital.

Economy Minister Chris Cardona told Parliament earlier this week that discussions were underway with the hawkers over their relocation.

Although plans have not yet been finalised, an understanding had already been struck between the hawkers and the Labour Party prior to the March 8 general election for the relocation of the flea market.

Contacted yesterday, a spokesman for the ministry would only confirm that discussions were being held, saying further details “will be announced in due course”.

Hawker Godwin Azzopardi, who has been in the trade for almost four decades, said he had never seen business to be as bad as after they were shifted to the bottom of Merchants Street.

“We were moved as far away as possible from the centre and placed on the periphery where people barely come. Can you imagine elderly who come to Valletta by bus walking down here just to go to the monti?

“We have a family like all other small business owners,” he added.

He agreed with another hawker, Oliver Apap, that they were not against “standardising” their stall to give the market a more professional look, but both insisted that the move would be beneficial to their business.

“We would be happy if we were all told to have similar stalls, with standard material and a standard look. We have been begging to move closer to where it all happens for years now and our pleas have always fallen on deaf ears. Now, we have an administration that listened and acted,” Mr Apap said.

He said there was “no comparison” between business now and the way it was when the market used to be set up at the top end of Merchants Street or at Freedom Square, before it was taken over for the new Parliament building.

John Borg, who took over his business from his father, said sales were at their lowest and his stock now lasts longer than it used to.

Mr Apap said the number of hawkers had gone down to 77 from over 120 because business was so bad.

Karl Borg, who also took over from his father, said there were empty spaces in the present market because some hawkers were not even bothering to bring their wares to Valletta and spend up to two hours setting up their stall “to sell close to nothing”.

When contacted, Joe Zrinzo, who represents the hawkers, said they would not all fit in Ordnance Street, so some stalls would also be located up the road between the new Parliament building and the old Opera House site.

He was reluctant to furnish more details on the pre-electoral agreement since discussions were still under way.