The Lanzarote street vendors platform has criticized the "very unattractive" image offered by the Teguise market this Sunday, on its return after the state of alarm decreed in March.
"The Teguise market is the second most important market in Spain according to the mayor of Teguise. We don't know if this is the case, but it is clear that it has become the most unusual", he begins by pointing out in a statement, in which he states that "the renewed image that was announced was not very successful, since a red and white tape passed in front of the stalls, half a meter away, hindering the offer".
Likewise, it states that "of the 150 stalls that were going to be located in the provisional space that was marked off for this purpose, it seems that only 62 were able to attend." "The requirements that the City Council imposed to be able to set up were not within everyone's reach. The requirement of an approved and certified tent is too expensive an investment in times of pandemic", he criticizes.
"We want the freedom that corresponds to us"
The street vendors platform highlights that they had already been dragging "a very long crisis". "We worked with an all-inclusive tourism 'that spent little money in the markets. Almost eight months without working have taken a heavy toll on the weakest link in the trade chain", he adds.
In addition, he points out that he does not know "any market in all of the Canary Islands or in Spain", in which vendors "can only set up with approved structures. "Are all the city councils wrong? Do the mayors of the Canary Island municipalities that have their markets not comply with the rules? Is the Teguise City Council the only one that is right?", he asks.
"We are self-employed, we want the freedom that corresponds to us to present our merchandise within the structure that best suits our economic and practical possibilities, because many of us have small cars, small houses and we work alone and these tents must be set up between two people, especially on windy days", adds the street vendors platform.
Relax the measures
According to the group, representatives of the vendors are scheduled to meet this Monday with the mayor of Teguise to discuss various issues that they have been waiting for "too long". "A year and a half of delay in the renewal of our sales licenses, among other things, is becoming very worrying", they point out.
Likewise, they state that a few months ago, through the State Platform of Street Vendors of which they are part, they wrote a letter to the Government of Spain asking it to relax the extreme measures that were put in place for the markets with the state of alarm. "We also wrote to the Government of the Canary Islands asking for flexibility to work complying with all the health guarantees that the times impose", they add.
In this regard, they point out that, according to the new health recommendations of the National Health System of October 22, 2020, the market "can be in its original place with 75% of stalls". "The BOC of July 4, 2020 has become outdated and its mandates disproportionate in the face of new scientific evidence", adds the street vendors platform, which asks to "interpellate the Canary Islands Government in this regard".
