Eremasi Tuni and other shoeshiners in Lautoka hope Government has some kind of a relief package for them when the 2020-2021 National Budget is announced on Friday.
He said apart from financial aid, he also would like Government to reduce the cost of basic food items. Mr Tuni said shoeshine boys had lost quite a lot of their daily customers since COVID-19 hit the country.
“If there is anything we would love to see in the budget it will be some form of relief for people like us,” Mr Tuni said.
“We are struggling daily to feed our family with the income we earn.
“We have never been hit this bad before and this is why we are hoping some form of small assistance will be provided for us.”
Mr Tuni said they used to earn about $60 a day before the pandemic, but they were struggling to make even $20 these days. He hoped the prices of basic food items and goods would be reduced to enable them to provide for their families.
Mr Tuni and other shoeshine boys have been serving the public along Naviti St for the past 20 years.
