PAPER TITLE :CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF SKILLED LABOUR IN QUARRY OPERATIONS IN NIGERIA

JOURNAL Of SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY | VOLUME 9 NUMBER 2 2018

Paper Details

  • Author(s) : MELODI, M.M.
  • Abstract:

This study aims at examining the challenges and prospects of skilled labour in
quarry operations in Edo State, Nigeria. Primary sources of data collection used were questionnaires
which were distributed to respondents. A total of seventy (70) respondents which were made up of
technical employees, supervisors and managers of each quarry were sampled for the study. The
statistical tools used are descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho correlation. This study is to
evaluate the challenges and prospects of skilled workers in quarry operations, determining the
level of production and the benefits of using skilled workers to promote production, and recommend
policies that would solve problems faced by quarry workers in quarries in the state, as well as
increasing the rate of utilization of skilled workers which would help in effective production of
solid mineral exploitation in the selected quarries. This study shows that majority (61.4%) of the
workers lived in the community, 55.7% had a bachelor’s degree. Most of the skilled workers
(47.1%) were paid salaries and wages between N50,000 to N100,000 while 80.0% attested to
“Distance from home to work place (quarry)” as a major challenge faced as skilled worker who
always work regularly (50.0%) as supervisory workers (78.6%). Spearman’s rho test of association
between challenges of skilled workers and years of service in quarry operation shows that majority
of the challenges relates non – significantly with year of service (p > 0.05). Skilled workers live far
from the quarry work place, it is therefore recommended that quarry administrators provide
shelters for their skilled workers to increase production and improve productivity as the time
spent on trip is better utilized on production activities.
Keywords: Skilled labour, quarry operation, wage, employer, qualification, working environment