On January 31, 2018, Juventud Rebelde published an article titled Turbios vericuetos in "La Cuevita", in which, among other issues, the terrible conditions in which they worked at the Monterrey Fair - the municipality of San Miguel del Padrón - were discussed. of 500 people, between cuentapropistas owners and contracted force.

At that time, Rosa María Vázquez Hernández, principal specialist of Own-account Management in the Basic Trade Unit of the municipality, explained that a project was being carried out that would improve the environment and eliminate overcrowding.

"What is the Monterrey Fair today will remain as parking, while in a larger area, a few meters from the current, will be built homogeneous sales positions with an improved aesthetics, which translates into a more welcoming environment for workers and visitors, "he informed.

The date set for the completion of this project was unknown until last Saturday, March 23, when the new fair opened the doors to the more than 6,000 people who, on average, visit it daily.

A fair worthy of a king

According to Mayelín Silva González, president of the Municipal Assembly of the People's Power in San Miguel del Padrón, at various times in 2017 it was tried to improve the marketing area of ​​Monterrey, but by failing to meet the expectations of the workers, rehabilitation was planned in a space with greater amplitude.

Thus, he said, a new type area was designed for all services to be part of the same complex, which includes the restaurant Monte Rey -with capacity for 40 seated guests and 28 located in umbrellas within the enclosure-, the marketing center and the parking lot; the latter is still under construction in the area that previously occupied the fair.

A total of 241 homogeneous cubicles were built in the Monterrey Marketing Center, of which 238 correspond to self-employed, two are used for gastronomy and one for the sale of cleaning products.

It was organized according to the sales activity, as in the stores, so that the customer can more easily access the products they want and decide according to their prices and quality.

The sanitary services for employees and clients, separately, also have better conditions than before, since they have permanent water and a strict care of cleanliness.

In addition, a parking lot was built for the motorcycles of the workers and the loading trucks, as well as three warehouses to deposit the merchandise and a socio-administrative for the officials, said Silva González.

He also referred to the actions that are carried out to stop the illegalities. "We have porters, Municipal Commerce personnel, the inspection body and the imposing organs to detect and stop any irregularity.

"We have alerted the workers of the center and know that if they incur in illegalities such as the sale of merchandise not contemplated in the license, they will be sanctioned with leaving the area," the board said.

"The problem of overcrowding that we were so worried about was solved with the move to the new area. Now there are wide side aisles, two entrances and one exit, which facilitates ventilation, "explained Jorge Miguel Cabrera Hernandez, administrator of the shopping center.

Parking, on the other hand, responds to an approach by the population and eliminates illegal parking in areas that hinder traffic.

During the whole construction process the union participated in the decision-making process, so the concerns and demands of the workers were always taken into account, said Leonardo Machado, a union leader who deals with the activity of household supplies at the table. .

New lights in the cave

When Mayra Gómez, from Cienfuegos, arrived at the fair last Tuesday to purchase items for her business-an action she does once or twice a month-she could not believe what she was seeing.

"It's a radical change, everything looks cleaner and tidier; you can buy more easily now because before you could hardly walk, "he said.

The conditions that have created the workers are very good, said Yoennis Mont, who works as a tailor at the table 39. "The roof with two waters protects us from the sun and the rain, before the goods got wet.

An awning will also be placed on the back, which, in addition to protecting us, will completely separate us from the rest of the posts. "This allows greater control of the merchandise and the prevention of robberies," said Elizabeth Vázquez, with a license of tailor and costume jewelery at table 78.

The atmosphere that is breathed today at the Monterrey Fair is mainly gratitude for the comfort they now have and significant improvements in their working conditions, said Darián D. Remón, director of Labor and Security