The government has doubled its payout offer to monti hawkers, to €80,000, in a bid to reduce the number of stalls, the Times of Malta has learnt.
This will enable the monti to return to its original plans to relocate the market to Valletta’s Ordnance Street.
The offer was originally in the region of €40,000, up from the €23,000 offer the government had made in November to entice hawkers to give up their licence.
The offer was originally in the region of €40,000, up from €23,000
An Economy Minister spokeswoman would not confirm or deny the offer was on the table, although she confirmed there was an attempt evaluate how many monti hawkers would be interested in giving up their licence.
“For the time being, the ministry can only confirm that there is an ongoing process,” she said.
Sources close to the hawkers said that after mounting pressure from the media, the Economy Ministry started talks with the hawkers with the aim of reducing their number and resolving the impasse over the stalls’ relocation.
The sources said the government had issued a call for expressions of interest to see who was interested in taking up the im-proved offer. Only around 25 of the 75 hawkers had previously shown any interest. The government intends to bring the total number to 30 or 35. At €80,000 per hawker, this could cost the exchequer a staggering €3.2 million.
Asked how the ministry could justify such an expense, the ministry replied that this was “a similar process adopted by previous administrations when faced with similar scenarios”.
“This process and eventual decision on the matter will be in the best interest of the licensed monti hawkers and their families and will also take into consideration both the interest and investment of other commercial operators and the general public,” the spokeswoman stressed.
Sources said the €80,000 offer depended on take-up, which means that the offer could be withdrawn if not enough hawkers are willing to give up their licence.
In the meantime, the government has decided to return to the drawing board after the stalls – a mix of PVC, metal and wood, featuring eight-pointed crosses pain-ted in red against a white background – generated a nationwide cacophony of disapproval.
Before the 2013 general election, the Labour Party had promised to relocate the flea market from its original place at the bottom end of Merchants Street to Ordnance Street.
The present administration also signed a contract with 70 of the 75 hawkers on the move to Ordnance Street. But the electoral promise hit a stone wall after harsh public criticism about the new site.
Many felt monti stalls would be an eyesore sitting alongside Renzo Piano’s new City Gate project.
matthew.xuereb@timesofmalta.com