Vendors Union plea with City Hall, Gov’t to be compassionate with vendors

By Nicole Telford- The General Market Vendors Union (GMVU) during a press conference has called on the Government of Guyana, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (GM&TC) and international organisations to recognise the plight of the vendors who ply their trade on the pavements across the city of Georgetown.

The President and General Secretary of the General Market Vendors Union are asking for leniency to be shown from GM&TC and the Government, contending that the vendors have families to feed, mortgages and other bills to pay and as such removing them without alternative measures aid in their plight of burdens on the families who depend on their income.

GMVU President Eon Andrews said the “vendors who ply their trade along the Water Street pavement are at their wits end to pay their bills since the ruling of the court which sought their removal.” Andrews explained that there are vendors “who were on the road for years and new vendors who are graduates and skilled workers who have been laid off or retrenched by government in 2020.”

Andrews said with no prospect of job creation in the economy that fits their skill set, many who are single parents opted to vend to earn a living and were given permission by City Hall. This he said prompted them to vend for their livelihood. Noting the plight of the vendors who have been ordered by the court to remove from the pavement he stated that “the minibus operators who ply the Georgetown to East Coast Demerara Mon Repos route have now occupied where the vendors were, which is not bringing in any revenue for City Hall.”

Further he said, “there is need for the Mayor and City Council and the Government of Guyana to come to some agreement to facilitate the vendors to ply their trade while adhering to city guidelines and the Laws of Guyana.”

Meanwhile Bertram Thorne, General Secretary of the GMVU said, “the vendors are human beings, and they have to earn to survive.”  Thorne said, “I am asking that the vendors be given the four feet space that is allotted for them to ply their trade which the minibuses are currently using.”

Thorne further elaborated that he passed at the Water Street pavement area where the vendors were located and instead saw that vehicles are now operating there which he said is not bringing in income for the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.  Thorne said he is pleading with “City Hall, Government and the International bodies for human rights to assist the vendors so that they can earn a living to take care of their families.”