Isidro Zapata Chero, president of the Association of Micro and Small Garment Industry of Gamarra and Peru, made a serious complaint, stating in a statement to the public that they are victims of “a serious violation, abuse of authority and disproportionate application of municipal fines (in the La Victoria district) that are seriously affecting thousands of workers and small business owners”.
Zapata Chero indicated that “it is inadmissible that an entrepreneur who works in a module of approximately one square meter, often with minimal working capital, should be subjected to sanctions that may represent a fundamental part of their income and working capital. How can a small entrepreneur survive if they receive new notices and sanctions every few days?
We publicly denounce our concern over the repeated application of fines and demand that each sanction be reviewed under criteria of legality, proportionality, reasonableness and due process, especially when dealing with minor infractions, such as the placement of a hook or another work-related item”.
Fines that shut down businesses
Entrepreneurs from the Gamarra Commercial Emporium reported that small one-square-meter modules in stores and galleries pay between 150 and 200 soles every 20 to 30 days under municipal inspections carried out regularly. “We want authority with humanity, inspections with justice and municipal government at the service of citizens. 7,000 entrepreneurs have already been shut down” because of this situation, the leader indicated.
They also announced that this Friday, September 4, at 10.00 a.m., they will hold a peaceful march from the Gamarra commercial emporium itself to the La Victoria Municipality. During the protest, the galleries and stores will symbolically close their doors, as an expression of rejection of the measures that have been affecting entrepreneurs.
Gamarra’s merchants received the support of the Historic Citizen Agreement (AHC), made up of civil construction unions, women entrepreneurs, students and civil society organizations. They demanded “direct and transparent dialogue between the municipality, merchants, entrepreneurs and residents, strongly rejecting any form of abuse of authority, intimidation or persecution against citizens who legitimately exercise their rights”.
The Gamarra Commercial Emporium is Peru’s main textile hub, with more than a century of history in commercial and industrial entrepreneurship. It encompasses more than 200 galleries, with thousands of micro and small enterprises (MYPEs) that provide work to nearly 500 thousand people and benefit an equal number of Peruvian families. Its production is distributed throughout Peru.
