SMALL shops around the island will close their doors and stop work at 11am on February 7.
On Wednesday night, small shopkeeper’s union POVEK decided at a meeting in Limassol that the “unsatisfactory response” to their demands about the wholesale industry could go on no more.
“Enough is enough,” said POVEK Secretary-general Melios Georgiou yesterday, explaining why small and medium-sized shops around the nation had decided to padlock their doors on February 7, and assemble outside the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and House of Representatives in protest.
“We are fed up with hypermarkets selling products below wholesale price, violating sales periods and violating working hours. In Limassol, for instance, hypermarkets are now allowed to stay open till 10pm because it’s a tourist district. However, it’s mostly locals that use them at that time, which is unfair to the other shops that shut at 7pm, because they lose business.”
Georgiou said that over the past year, dozens of shops had already closed down in Anexartisias Street in Limassol because of this, and that generally small shops around the island had been unable to cope with the “unfair competition” in the industry, resulting in a significant number closing down.
“This is a desperate situation, which calls for desperate measures. We do not know if they will sit up and listen, but if they do not, we will take more action and call for more strikes,” he said.
Georgiou hoped their demands would be heard once and for all, but was unable to say what direction the action would take.
“We are meeting with the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Nicos Rolandis, two days before the strike to talk. However, we will accept no more promises, and only want to see action from now on,” he said.
He said the Union expected a mass gathering from all over the island in support of the demonstration.
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