Disappointed by poor sales, San Fernando vendors made an emotional appeal to newly appointed Mayor Junia Regrello to be allowed to ply their trades on the streets during the busy holiday season.
Michael Sylvester, a vendor on High Street, San Fernando ,saw an opportunity to bring his concerns directly to the head when he saw Regrello and former Mayor, now Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein, walking down the street.
“The vendors don’t mind contributing towards the (regional) corporation, but with a permit and a permanent spot.
“It’s not nice to be running from the police every day,” Sylvester said.
“It hurts my heart when I see police seizing people’s goods and they have to end up before the courts... nobody wants that for themselves.”
Hosein interjected saying: “You know I led the council for the past three years, I never pressured you all about vending on the streets.”
Shaking Hosein’s hand, Sylvester responded: “A lot of other mayors pass and it’s pressure for the small man—you and Mr Regrello were the only ones.”
Seeking to alleviate the fears of the vendors, Regrello told them: “We will meet after the holidays, around the second week in January, to discuss this properly.
“We need to come up with a policy that will prevent us from having this discussion a week from Christmas next year.”
Another vendor, who asked to be identified only as Alyson, said this is the worst year of sales she has experienced since she started selling curtain rods in front of a popular fabric store on High Street.
“Every day people are saying things will pick up but people have to know how they are spending their money in this recession,” she said.
“Recession is only affecting the poor people, why these big government ministers don’t take a cut in their salaries?
“Only poor people suffering.”