The government is considering doubling the payout to monti hawkers to reduce the number of stalls, enabling it to return to its original plans to relocate the market to Valletta’s Ordnance Street, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

The offer being considered is in the region of €40,000, up from the €23,000 offer made in November last year to entice them to give up their licence.

Sources said this was just one of the options being considered by the government to resolve the impasse over the stalls’ relocation.

An Economy Minister spokesman would not confirm nor deny that it was one of the options being considered.

But lawyer Claire Bonello, representing the monti hawkers, said although she had heard such information through the grapevine, the authorities had not made an official offer.

“I am reliably informed this is being considered but the offer has not yet been made,” Dr Bonello said when contacted.

Asked whether they would be prepared to accept such an offer, Dr Bonello said hawkers were not after money but simply wanted to be allowed to work.

These people want to work not to be given a miserly handout, especially when others have been given millions

“It seems the government is intent on reneging on its contractual obligations and preferring to cull the number of hawkers, in contrast to the legal obligations it took on. These people want to work not to be given a miserly handout, especially when others have been given millions,” she added.

“All we have found from the government’s side are closed doors. We have sent numerous letters and e-mails asking for meetings to discuss the relocation but these were not even acknowledged let alone answered,” she said.

Dr Bonello insisted that through the authorities’ refusal to meet, monti hawkers felt they were being treated “like rubbish”.

Aside from this, she said hawkers were facing unfair competition from shop owners since many shops in Merchants and Republic streets were selling the same merchandise as the monti, except for the price.

“Monti hawkers are not asking for anything other than a balanced playing field,” she said.

Before the 2013 general election, the Labour Party had promised to relocate the flea market from its original place, in

Merchants Street, to Ordnance Street. The present administration had also signed a contract with 70 of the 75 hawkers on the move to Ordnance Street.

“There is a contractual obligation that the government signed and we expect this to be respected,” she stressed.

But the electoral promise hit a stone wall after harsh public criticism on the new site. Many felt monti stalls were not aesthetically adapted to sit alongside Renzo Piano’s new City Gate project.

“The hawkers were not consulted on this design. The first time they saw it was in the media.

“The hawkers are willing to pay to have artisan-like stalls that are aesthetically pleasing. However, they are not willing to invest if they do not know what the future holds. They need reassurances,” she said.

Dr Bonello also voiced the hawkers’ concern over the works which will be carried out on the old Valletta market. They are completely in the dark as to where they will be allowed to set up when works on the site start.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.