You need to show what you know and can do to earn your money. There is never an idle moment on the construction site
In a world where traditional crafts have lost their luster, and the saying “a trade is a golden bracelet” sounds more like a communist slogan, bricklaying remains one of the fundamental professions in society. Romania is currently facing a severe labor shortage. Fewer and fewer young people are choosing vocational schools to build their future, and physical labor continues to be seen as something shameful. The shame of working with one’s hands generates estimated annual losses of 7 billion euros for Romania’s business sector. (1)
However, there are still people for whom having a trade, mastered down to the smallest detail, is a source of pride. Mirel Tumbea, a bricklayer with over 37 years of experience, is one of them.
He built furnaces for power plants and the new subway stations in Bucharest
Mirel Tumbea entered this profession right after finishing school. “I believe I made a good choice at the time,” he admits, emphasizing that although the trade wasn’t easy, he managed to adapt and find satisfaction in his day-to-day activities. “Throughout my life, I’ve lifted entire truckloads of bricks,” adds Mr. Tumbea. And everyone working in construction can confirm that these are not easy trades. Despite technological advances, construction remains an extremely physically demanding field.
He started his career at a company building furnaces for power plants and thermal insulation. He spent an hour a day in training courses and then went to the site for practice: “We worked only with fireclay bricks inside the furnace, in a circular shape. It was work at great heights, and we were just hanging there. It was dangerous,” recalls Mr. Tumbea. He then got a job at a company doing mechanized plastering, where he stayed until shortly before the Revolution.
He also worked at the Romanian Railways Company (CFR), building retaining walls with mountain rock and cone quarters for railway bridges. However, he fondly remembers the period when he worked on several of the subway segments built in Bucharest after 1989: Bucureștii Noi, Pajura, Parc Bazilescu, Laminorului, and Străulești: “We worked in teams. We worked in stations. The station was excavated from the surface, slabs were poured, and then a mini-excavator was brought inside until there was enough space for a larger excavator to enter. Only then did the actual work in the station begin, and our turn came: bricklaying, plastering, skim coating, tiles, stairs.”
The journey to Germany
Over time, however, he encountered the issues that plagued construction in Romania for many years: a lack of seriousness and respect, delays in the payment of salary, unpaid overtime, or even unpaid wages. So, in 2017, he took a leap of faith and went to work in Germany, leaving behind his wife and a now-grown son.
After a series of searches, he ended up at RCBB Gruppe. Here, he found seriousness, stability, and respect. But the work is still not easy. On the other hand, Mr. Tumbea accepted the path he chose: “That’s why I came here, to work. I didn’t come to sit idle.“
Working on the construction site
Every day on the site begins with the morning roll call, where everyone reports on their progress and learns what they need to do that day. What does a bricklayer do on the site? The easiest answer is “he lays bricks.” But it’s not that simple. “Not every day is the same. When it’s time to lay bricks, we do masonry. All the activities on the site follow the project schedule. Most often, we, bricklayers, come in after our other colleagues have finished their work,” explains Mr. Tumbea.
“But that doesn’t mean we just stand by and watch others work. If we don’t have bricklaying to do, we pick up and do something else. No one ever stands idle on the site. In our team, we complement each other; you help the other person. You lend a hand to the carpenter, the ironworker. We came here to do something. If we don’t, we can’t expect anything in return. To earn your money, you need to show what you know how to work and you can do it,” he adds.
Perhaps the work schedule has shifted in one area, or there are delays. “Extra hands come in, so to speak. And if the concrete mixers arrive, you won’t just stand there with your hands in your pockets waiting for the concrete to pour itself. You help pour it, lend a hand to your colleagues so they can finish, and we can move forward.“
A close-knit team of colleagues who help each other
And in construction, especially when you’re far from home, your coworkers are the people you spend most of your time with. Because after the workday is over, you go to the accommodation, where you all stay together. “We’re a team; we’ve known each other for years. Maybe that’s why we help each other out and understand one another. Everyone has to take care of themselves, but we try to be there for one another.“
Coworkers rely on each other to do their jobs responsibly. A construction site can’t be successful unless everyone does their job properly. Moreover, the most frustrating thing for a professional, in any field, is having to fix what someone else has ruined.
When asked what he enjoys most about this profession, Mr. Tumbea is straightforward: “Doing my job properly. Building something from scratch and having it turn out just like the plans. I’m waiting for Mr. Isărescu (n.red. Governor of the National Bank of Romania) to retire so I can take his place at the National Bank. But until then, I’ll keep laying bricks,” he jokes. As for his retirement, Mr. Tumbea is determined: if he’s able to continue working after retirement age, why not? “As long as I’m healthy and strong. If you sit still, your mind sits still too. And unfortunately, it might even go backward. It’s the same with the body.”
Notes:
(1) Data according to a study conducted in 2019 by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the largest auditing and financial consulting firms in the world.
On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the founding of RCBB Gruppe, we look at the professionals who are part of our team, talking about some of the vital trades for the existence of a construction site. This interview is the second in a series of six materials that we will publish in the following weeks.
- The story of a Romanian carpenter in Germany: I learned my trade on the job site, from scratch. If one loves what they do, they learn and grow