The story of the tile kiln workers

(Baonghean) - In the harsh early summer sun, amidst layers of dust and smoke, the tile kiln workers still diligently pick up each tile and exchange it for each coin to support their families.

The status of tile worker

At 7am, we followed the workers working at a tile kiln located near a residential area in Nghia Hoan Commune (Tan Ky) - known as the "brick and tile capital" of the district. In the atmosphere filled with the acrid smell of burning wood and thick dust every time a tile truck passed by, about 10 workers, many of whom were women, started work early to avoid the harsh early summer sun of the land of Lao wind.

Some people push carts, groups of 3 or 4 people line up to rhythmically move stacks of tiles weighing nearly ten kilos into the kiln gate, which is less than half a meter wide...

Moving and stacking tiles into the kiln. Photo: Chu Thanh

Under a makeshift thatched roof next to a tile kiln, Ms. Thoa (27 years old) in Lam Xuan hamlet, Nghia Hoan commune (Tan Ky), her hands and feet constantly mixing coal, told us about the tile kiln jobs that she has followed since she was a child. Like all children born in the countryside, every summer, Ms. Thoa started following her parents and siblings to “go to the kiln” since she was in 9th grade.

She smiled and said: “At that time, the whole village, the whole neighborhood, everyone went to the kiln as a movement. There were families where the whole family, from grandparents to grandchildren, went to the kiln. And the people who went to the tile kiln were divided into many types. There were people who specialized in pushing tiles (transporting tiles into the kiln, mixing coal, drying tiles...); people specialized in entering the kiln (arranging tiles into the kiln); specialized in firing the kiln (baking the tiles); taking the tiles out of the kiln (transporting tiles out of the kiln after they were cooked) or loading tiles onto trucks.

Each person is in charge of a separate task because there are steps that not everyone can do.

At that time, the children who made tiles here mainly mixed coal and carried tiles into the kiln, while the more difficult jobs were usually left to adults. One of my friends, perhaps because he carried so many heavy bricks, grew up only “widely but narrowly”. However, after the government started strict inspections, the kiln owners no longer hired children to work.

"If you don't know what to do, you'll have to be a tile maker."

Workers here said that since January, the tile kilns have started operating. Most of the kiln workers here are from the commune, but there are also many workers from Dien Chau, Nghia Dan districts and Thanh Hoa province... Those who come from far away are often arranged by the kiln owners to eat and live in makeshift houses built near the kilns and near the tile factories.

It's called a factory for prestige, but in reality it's just a few concrete pillars erected on a ground of several hundred square meters, covered with clear plastic sheets and bamboo panels.

In the pungent smell of kerosene and the rumbling sound of the tile-making machine, a group of about 5 or 6 people are making tiles quickly. Most of the time, everyone works quietly because to talk to each other in this space, the person opposite has to shout, straining their ears to be able to hear each other clearly. Taking a break after many hours of continuous work, Mr. Thai Van Hung in Dien Chau district, a brick-making worker, said: "We have been making bricks since 3am until now."

The electricity in the countryside is very weak, but there are many kilns running, so we have to work whenever we can. For people like us, staying up all night and sleeping in during the day is normal.” Every day, bricklayers like Hung have to make tens of thousands of bricks. The clay is divided into equal parts and then put into the stamping machine before being dried on panels in the factory. Depending on the weather, but usually after 4-5 days the tiles will be dry and white before being put into the kiln and fired.

Before returning to the brick making, Mr. Hung pointed to the people entering the kiln and said that depending on the size of the kiln, the kiln owner hires a different number of workers. Normally, a small kiln will have 13 people, including 3 people working in the kiln and 10 people pushing the tiles; a large kiln has 15 people a day (3 people in the kiln and 12 people pushing the tiles).

Jobs like putting tiles in the kiln and firing the kiln are mainly for men. Pushing tiles, taking them out of the kiln, and loading bricks onto trucks are for women. Actually, this job is not for women because each unfired tile weighs about 2 kg. On average, each person transports about 5-6 tons of tiles per day and receives 180,000 - 250,000 VND in wages.

Drying tiles after finishing. Photo: Chu Thanh

Taking a break to have a snack after removing tiles from the kiln, Ms. Thuy, a kiln worker, said that the number of years she has been working in the kiln is exactly the same as the age of her daughter who is in 9th grade this year. Unable to go into the kiln, she chose to work in the kiln, a job that pays quite well because she has to raise 5 children to go to school. For every 1,000 tiles, she is paid 100,000 VND. Normally, each day she and 5 other people remove more than 20,000 tiles, which means each person earns about 350,000 VND/day.

Standing under the kiln for a while, we all felt short of breath, partly because of the dust and partly because of the lack of oxygen, but the women who removed the tiles from the kiln like Ms. Thuy still worked normally. Ms. Thuy shared: "We know that the smoke and dust left after the firing process are toxic, but our family only depends on a few fields, so where will we get the money to send our 5 children to school?"

Most of the miners working here are farmers in the commune. Although it is hard work, it brings a considerable income in addition to farming. Some people even give up farming to work as miners. Roughly calculated, each month, working as miners brings the lowest average income of 4 - 5 million VND for farmers.

Chu Thanh