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  During the
brickmaking season, which lasts from September
to April, an artisanal producer can make an
average of about 30,000 bricks
per month. - United Nations courtesy photo. |
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Published Thursday, August 13, 2020 brick by brick By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services In Uruguay, thousands of families earn a precarious livelihood making bricks, using traditional methods that are often inefficient and harmful to the environment. A United Nations project, in collaboration with the Uruguayan government, aims to make the industry less polluting, whilst preserving jobs for the many artisans who depend on it. According to a United Nations special report, an example is Eduardo Romero. When he was 40 years old, he was fired from his job as a bricklayer. It was 1992, in the city of Durazno, Uruguay. With his few belongings on his shoulder, Romero headed north of Uruguay and stopped only when he found work. It was in the city of Tranqueras, and his new source of income came from land, fire and water: Romero started making bricks. Now, five jobs, two ventures, three children and 28 years later, Romero is still linked to this insecure industry, which is both an easy source of employment for those who need it most, but where people work without social security or insurance, and with their labour rights continuously violated. “It is a precarious sector,” Romero said. “We are always on the edge of town, wearing dirty clothes.” Reliable statistics on the industry are hard to come by, but estimates suggest that there are some 14,000 families working in 3,500 production units across the country. The informal nature of the work makes for high turnover. Romero has spent a lifetime in bricks, as a brickmaker for 28 years, and a bricklayer before that. According to the United Nations, on top of the pressure on individual workers, the industry has a negative impact on the environment; emissions are high and some brickmakers, lacking other sources of fuel, burn protected species of trees. During the brickmaking season, which lasts from September to April, an artisanal producer can make an average of about 30,000 bricks per month; the entire sector in Uruguay yields enough bricks every year to build at least 1,500 new houses, plus hundreds of businesses, kilns, factories, and more. Romero is one of a growing number of artisanal producers who are changing the way they make bricks. And in the process, helping the entire country enjoy a cleaner environment. But in a sector like this, changing traditions is difficult. Making bricks the traditional way, is an art that requires several stages. First the elements are obtained to make the raw material: water, soil, clay, sand, and organic matter such as horse dung. This material is mixed and put into moulds, then laid out to dry for three days. Then they are baked in an oven, with firewood serving as the main fuel, for between two and seven days, and allowed to cool. Four days later they are ready for sale. At each stage of the process, there are abundant occupational hazards and environmental impacts. Artisanal brickmakers in Uruguay put the raw material into a mold, and then lay it out to dry. In addition, this method is far more inefficient than modern, mechanized techniques: according to the government, factories can churn out bricks almost seven times faster than an artisanal producer. “The artisanal brick industry is far behind in technological terms,” said Pablo Montes, who works for the Uruguayan government, and is also national coordinator of PAGE Uruguay (Partnership for Action on the Green Economy), a project involving the UN and the Uruguayan government. He explains that there are significant obstacles to artisans moving to newer techniques: it has fewer job opportunities; it also requires certification that most artisans don’t have, whether for the expense, or because many have not finished primary school and can barely read or write. That’s why PAGE is looking to support the artisanal industry, helping workers to enjoy greater rights and higher incomes, and cutting pollution during the production process. PAGE staff talked to brickmakers from all over the country, looking for improvements at every stage of the production process, and brought in consultants from other countries – such as Colombia, which has already undergone its own transformation – to give workshops on how to make better bricks. By doing so, PAGE is helping to move Uruguay closer to the twin goals of a greener and more prosperous economy. The project is still in progress, and is developing even better methods and training more brickmakers. Pablo Montes of PAGE is optimistic that brickmakers will be won over by the benefits that the new ways of working offers them. “We want to keep the industry artisanal, while making it safer and greener,” he said. “We can have both.” --------------------- What have you heard of artisanal green projects in the construction sector developed in Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
