The story of the tile kiln workers

(Baonghean) - In the harsh early summer sun, amidst thick clouds of dust and smoke, the tile kiln workers still diligently pick up each tile to earn a few pennies to support their entire families.

The plight of tile-making laborers

At 7 a.m., we followed the workers at a brick kiln located near a residential area in Nghia Hoan commune (Tan Ky district) – known as the "brick and tile capital" of the district. In the air, thick with the pungent smell of burning wood and dust whenever a truck carrying tiles passed by, about 10 workers, many of them women, had already started their work early to avoid the harsh early summer sun of this windy region.

Some people pushed carts, while groups of three or four lined up rhythmically, moving stacks of tiles weighing nearly ten kilograms each through the kiln gate, which was less than half a meter wide…

Transferring and stacking roof tiles into the kiln. Photo: Chu Thanh

Under a makeshift thatched roof next to the brick kiln, Thoa (27 years old) from Lam Xuan hamlet, Nghia Hoan commune (Tan Ky district), her hands and feet constantly mixing charcoal, told us about the brick kiln labor jobs she had done since childhood. Like all children born in the countryside, every summer, Thoa started going to the kiln with her parents and siblings when she was in 9th grade.

She laughed and said, "Back then, the whole village, every household, everyone went to the kilns like a movement. There were families where everyone, from grandparents to grandchildren, worked in the kilns. And those who worked in the tile kilns were divided into many categories. Some specialized in pushing tiles (transporting tiles into the kiln, mixing charcoal, drying tiles, etc.); others specialized in going into the kiln (stacking tiles in the kiln); others specialized in firing tiles; and still others (transporting tiles out of the kiln after they were fired) or loading tiles onto trucks."

Each person is responsible for a specific task because there are certain stages of the process that not everyone can do."

Back then, the children working here mainly mixed coal and carried tiles into the kiln, while the harder jobs were usually left to adults. One of my sister's friends, perhaps because she carried so many heavy bricks, grew up "wide but narrow." However, after the authorities cracked down and conducted strict inspections, the kiln owners stopped hiring children.

"If you don't know what else to do, you have to become a tile-making laborer."

According to the workers here, the tile kilns start operating from the first month of the lunar year. Most of the kiln workers are from the local commune, but there are also quite a few from Dien Chau and Nghia Dan districts and Thanh Hoa province… Those from further away are usually provided with accommodation and meals by the kiln owners in makeshift, one-story houses built near the kilns and tile-making workshops.

It's called a factory to sound impressive, but in reality, it's just a few concrete pillars erected on a plot of land measuring a few hundred square meters, topped with some transparent plastic sheets or bamboo mats.

Amidst the pungent smell of kerosene and the rumbling of tile-making machines, a group of about five or six people were busily laying tiles. Most of the time, they worked in silence because to communicate in this space, the only way was to shout and strain their ears to hear each other. Taking a break after many hours of continuous work, Thai Van Hung, a bricklayer from Dien Chau district, recounted: "We've been laying bricks from 3 a.m. until now."

"The electricity in the countryside is very weak, and there are many kilns running, so we have to take advantage of every opportunity to work. For people like us, staying up all night to work and then sleeping during the day to catch up is normal." Every day, brickmakers like Hung make tens of thousands of bricks. The clay is divided into equal portions and then put into a pressing machine before being dried on mats in the workshop. Depending on the weather, but usually it takes about 4-5 days for the tiles to dry and turn white before being put into the kiln for firing.

Before returning to the brick-making process, Mr. Hung pointed to the people working in the kiln and explained that the number of workers hired varies depending on the size of the kiln. Typically, a small kiln will have 13 people, including 3 working in the kiln and 10 working in the tile-pushing department; a large kiln will have 15 people (3 working in the kiln and 12 pushing tiles).

Tasks like working in the kilns and furnaces are primarily for men. Pushing tiles out of the kilns and loading bricks onto carts are for women. In fact, this work isn't really suitable for women, as each unbaked tile weighs about 2 kg. On average, each person transports around 5-6 tons of tiles per day and earns between 180,000 and 250,000 VND.

Drying the roof tiles after they are finished. Photo: Chu Thanh

Taking a break for a snack after unloading tiles from the kiln, Ms. Thuy, a kiln worker, said that the number of years she has worked in the kiln is exactly the same as the age of her eldest daughter, who is in 9th grade this year. Unable to work in the kiln, she chose to work outside the kiln, a job that pays quite well because she has five children to support through their education. For every 1,000 tiles unloaded, she is paid 100,000 dong. Typically, she and five others unload more than 20,000 tiles a day, meaning each person earns around 350,000 dong per day.

Standing under the kiln for a while, we all felt breathless, partly due to the dust and partly due to the lack of oxygen, but the women unloading tiles from the kiln, like Ms. Thuy, continued working as usual. Ms. Thuy shared: "I know it's harmful because of the smoke and dust left over from the firing process, but my family only relies on a few acres of rice fields, so where would we get the money to feed and educate five children?"

Most of the furnace workers here are farmers from the local commune. Although the work is arduous, it provides a significant source of income alongside their farming. Some have even abandoned farming entirely to become furnace workers. Roughly speaking, furnace work brings in at least 4-5 million dong per month for these farmers.

Chu Thanh