Construction workers celebrate this Saturday, May 3rd, a very important date for the industry.
Today is the Day of the Holy Cross, and all over Mexico, bricklayers celebrate this day as if it were their birthday.
Such is the case of Don Emiliano Canché, a father who began his trade as a laborer at the age of 17 and has now been doing the same for 20 years, with the difference that he is a master bricklayer now.
That is why, for him and the entire industry, May 3rd represents a very important date.
“For us, it’s a sacred day; it’s the best day, and we usually spend it resting, and if we do work, it’s only for a few hours and then we stop“.
“The boss buys us snacks, soft drinks, and a few beers so we can all have fun,” he said.
Although the work of those dedicated to construction is very important, the truth is that in most cases, this labor is not well paid, which is why they sometimes have to take on other tasks to earn a little more, as mentioned by Eduardo Chi, who also works as a bricklayer.
Another factor that contributes to the punishability of pay is the fact that there are fake bricklayers, who can even put people’s lives at risk if they lack sufficient knowledge.
“There are masons who pretend to be bricklayers, but they’re not. They charge you cheap, but they’re always going to do things the wrong way. They don’t provide the materials properly; they rush everything, and that can be very dangerous,” said the master bricklayer.
Bricklayers often face various challenges, as many of them are self-employed, so they sometimes lack health insurance or legal benefits. In Mexico, employers often don’t insure their workers.
According to data from the Mexican government, the bricklayer workforce in the country totals approximately 1.6 million people, and the average salary is 8,920 pesos per month, working around 44.5 hours per week. However, informal employment is high, with approximately 90.7% of them working in the informal sector.
TYT Newsroom
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