Testimonials. Several terminated contracts for part of their workers and are resorting to credit. Two entrepreneurs tell their hardships.
For small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, getting their businesses afloat is a headache these days. The political and social crisis that has worsened since December affects them greatly.
Ingrid Aliaga is a small businesswoman who provides surveying services and rents heavy machinery. In 2022, he only had five small contracts, when before the coronavirus pandemic COVID-19, I was handling about 10 large contracts and other small ones. With the protests there is no movement. “As of October, sales have been almost zero. There are no projects, the works have stopped, everything has been paralyzed,” he told La República.
Before the pandemic, it had 12 workers on the payroll, with the extension of the crisis it had 5. And now with this crisis, it maintains 5, but three part-time, because its budget no longer allows it for more.
Monthly You must cover the payment of your loans, two that were granted by Reactiva Peru and another outside of it. He points out that in total, it would be approximately 9,000 soles that he must pay and he does not know how to do it.
The businesswoman called on the State to support small entrepreneurs. In addition, she exposed a situation that many like her go through. Last year, they were subcontracted by a larger company to build a new university building, but so far they have not been paid. They do not receive a solution from both instances.
They were also subcontracted by another company for the construction of the new headquarters of the Police School in La Joya, and they owe them the last check. “They make us work and then they don’t pay us”, claimed.
Another case
Santino Batti Gamboa He is the manager of four restaurants in Arequipa, including El Montonero. He is also dedicated to the hotel business. He points out that the situation was so critical since December 2022 that to pay the bonuses of his 250 employees he resorted to a bank loan.
“I have lost quite a few reserves in the entire December campaign,” he said. And it is that with the uncertainty, strikes, blockades and deaths, tourists canceled their travel packages. While the locals put aside the celebrations for Christmas.
As of December 31, Batti fired 50 of his workers, because the situation was no longer valid. “There are no tourists and Peru has been classified as a non-viable tourist destination by 16 countries. The losses for the country are serious and large. I thought we were not going to see anything worse than COVID-19,” he declared.
The businessman also has credits from Reactiva and stated that there must be tolerance to pay the credits, such as deadlines.
Both businessmen hope that there will be an early solution to the crisis in order to reactivate their businesses.
He Vice Minister of Mype and Industry, Javier Dávila, estimates that around 116 million soles per day amount to losses in micro and small businesses (mypes) in the country due to social protests. Dávila declared to El Peruano that 570,000 mypes are affected.
There are 3,500 insolvent
The technical secretary of the SME Chamber, Lucía Choquehuanca, He stated that in Arequipa at the union level there are 3,500 financial insolvents. They have trouble paying their loans.
Jorge Solis is he President of the Peruvian Federation of Municipal Savings and Credit Banks (Fepcmac). He confirmed that only 50% of clients nationwide pay their credit obligations.
Choquehuanca remarked that 56% of the people who carry out small and medium-sized companies are women, heads of the family.
The leader expressed her concern about the way in which they protest by destroying public and private property.
Source: Larepublica
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