The Tribune

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip "Brave" Davis yesterday criticised the Bahamas Straw Market Authority for "playing tough, fast and loose with people's livelihoods".

Mr Davis said his office received complaints about alleged threats by the authorities to workers at the market.

"They have been told that their jobs are in jeopardy as (of) January 1, 2020. I would like to know why such a thing would be said and the reasons for laying off staff members. In addition, I am advised that the corporation may be in violation of the labour laws in that they are demanding that employees show up on Saturdays and days off to attend what are called mandatory staff meetings without compensation or time off in lieu of compensation. This worries me because earlier this week, the corporation locked out scores of vendors because of rent payments being in arrears or so it is alleged, and they did so without warning, " said Mr Davis.

The Tribune canvassed the straw market yesterday and spoke to a disgruntled vendor about the lock down of stalls that occurred earlier this week.

In fear of being victimised, the vendor did not want to be named. She said she was locked out of her stall for owing $49 over the $200 rent agreement.

"They say they add on the rent every Sunday, this week would have made it to $249 which on Monday was a holiday. When I came on Tuesday, they had the whole aisle lock, all of my neighbours," the vendor explained.

"For them to lock the shop for $49... at least give the people until Tuesday. If they had done the lockdown on Tuesday, we wouldn't have mind, but they locked everybody shop and the people upstairs are not nice at all to the straw vendors."

She added: "They talk to us any type of how…say they want do something on Friday they would give out a memo on Wednesday. A two-day notice, when you give a memo you should give people a week or so."

The vendor said the authorities forced her to sign a book after she paid her rent.

She said, "Now this is a paper that they gave us to sign on Tuesday after we paid. All this (letter) saying is if we allow our shop to go over $200, the shop will be locked and you'd be suspended for a day or if you don't have the monies to pay the next day then you'd be suspended for the next three days. It goes on and on, they can even take you to court.

"Rent is $37.40 a week and to be honest we don't even make it. I'm through the aisle, we can't even go out on the outside because they have complaint officers that says if we go out to bring in a customer, we get a citation. If we get three citations that's suspension. If you get three suspensions a year, your license will be suspended that means you would lose your shop. It's very hard."

The vendor said things are so bad, she has resorted to selling items for $1.

"The tourist don't want to come in because it's very humid and very hot. It's a hassle to go out and bring in tourists. It's so bad that we are selling things for a dollar," she explained.

"We tell the tourists we have dollar items for them to come in and come see our shops. It's very difficult and they know that upstairs. They don't care, they talk to you any type of way."

When contacted, Works Minister Desmond Bannister said stalls were opened midday Tuesday without the required payment. He added that some stall holders who were locked out decided to pay.

Mr Bannister said: "The Straw Market Authority collected $22,351.77 on Tuesday. From the Bay Street location $21,401.77 was collected, $595 was collected from the Cable Beach location and $355 was collected from Fort Fincastle.

"The majority of the delinquent accounts are at the Bay Street location."