‘Absolute madness’ – York market traders threaten to close over 16-hour working days

Market traders fear for their health and their businesses over a plan that effectively forces them to work till 8pm three days a week till Christmas.

Some Shambles Market stallholders say they will close rather than be ‘trapped’ until late due to new access arrangements.

Others say the timetable would see them working 16-hour days, putting their health at risk.

Make It York has told traders they will not be given vehicle access to the market until 8pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 6pm on other nights, from this week until Christmas.

This is a health and safety measure due to the number of people in the city centre during the St Nicholas Fair market.

Kevin Tuohy, chair of the Shambles Market Business Improvement Group, described the situation as ‘absolute madness’:

• These are unjust hours. They’re basically servitude – forcing someone to work.

  We’re self-employed. Our contracts stipulate we work from 9 till 5, everything else is goodwill.

  To be told we can’t come in till 8 o’clock has ramifications for such as fruit and veg traders who are on the road at 4am. If they’re not going to leave the market till 9 at night, that’s a 16-17 hour day.

  It’s against our human rights.
  

‘Absolutely outrageous’

Nick Roberts, who runs the Crystals And Fossils stall, told YorkMix: “It’s absolutely outrageous. We’re up in arms.”

He said a permit system, allowing traders special access to and from the stalls, had worked in the past. An updated version of the permits, with photo ID, had been suggested to Make It York this year.

“The police have no problem with it, but Make It York said, no, not interested – they didn’t want to know.”

Kevin said other vehicles – such as waste collection vans – were being allowed in at these times.

And he worried about the safety and legality of the new system.

• There will be 40-plus vehicles coming in at 8pm. People will be tired, they’ll be frustrated, they’ll want to get home.

  With York being the Christmas party capital and hen and stag dos and everything else, trying to drive on Church Street with 40 vehicles at 8 o’clock on a Saturday evening wil be absolute chaos.

  It’s a recipe for disaster.
  

Already traders are choosing to walk rather than do the extra hours – losing vital Christmas business.

Sheila’s Greengrocers have tweeted that they will not operate on Thursdays till next January.

Make It York says no one has to work till 8pm – but traders say they can’t leave their stalls unattended because stock could be stolen.

Kevin said: “We feel absolutely dismayed that there’s been no negotiation. We feel undervalued.”

Another trader, who didn’t want to be named, said: “We are not moany or negative. We’re hopeless optimists – we wouldn’t work in this way otherwise.

“All we want to do is get on with Christmas and work together to make the market the best it could be.”