Merriman’s Mall vendors to file lawsuit against City Hall for compensation

Georgetown Municipality will soon be faced with a lawsuit for compensation by some Merriman’s Mall Vendors whose stalls were destroyed last Wednesday (11^th January 2017) by the Council.

Some 17 vendors whose stalls were located on the Mall between Cummings and Albert Streets are currently meeting with their lawyer to file the application after their appliances were damaged during City Hall’s ‘dismantling operation’.

According to the vendors who are mainly cosmetologists, no warning was given by City Hall much less the intent to carry out such an exercise, since they were only told after the act, that their stalls were demolished for “being unsightly”.

Vice-President of the Guyana Market Vendors Union, Carol Carter told News Room that the Union supports the action since the female vendors are single parents whose livelihood were taken away without proper consultation and explanation.

“It all depends on when the Lawyer, in what he is calling the vendors to bring forward, and the things are broken up, they are no good. So they have to compensate monetarily,” explained Carter.

The Union’s Vice-President said for months efforts were made to engage City Hall in discussing issues affecting vendors and hearing the concerns that the Municipality may have as it relates to vendors carrying out their trade.

Ms. Carter is accusing City Hall of “bullying” vendors. “If yah gonna bully me, if I don’t go to a meeting that I cannot sell to provide for my children, you putting me back against the wall to do all kind of things” she said.

The Union’s representative says such type of behaviour is what the body “is trying to relate to City Hall to get to talk in the interest of the vendors and also the interest of City Hall that we could come up with solutions that both sides could work.”

Moving forward, the Guyana Market Vendors Union has signalled its intention to have a good dialogue with City Hall in the best interest of its Members.

“We are calling on City Hall especially the Mayor, she is woman and she shows no remorse towards women because if you gonna go late in the night and break down people hard earn(ed) things and carry it away and go and ‘dump’ it you have no feelings for women out there, and we need that behaviour to STOP” Carter related.