Labour based (LB) roadworks have been successfully and cost-effectively applied in many developing countries in recent decades, particularly in Africa and Asia.
Unfortunately, labour-based works have not had the wider success that they merit. Changing from a locally established, imported, heavy equipment technology (albeit not performing optimally) to LB methods requires an integrated strategy at national and local levels of government as well as the private sector. It cannot be done piecemeal and hurriedly. Putting aside the profound shifts in attitude which must be induced, they require extensive awareness creation for, and retraining of, public works managers and engineers and, given the trend towards private sector involvement, technical and financial assistance to construction firms. These in turn can only survive if they can be guaranteed a steady flow of similar work, which can only be assured by a multi-level commitment.
Labour-based works’ relative simplicity facilitates decentralisation to local level management. However, we need to train and supervise their implantation to ensure that the acquired knowledge will continue to be used after any initial project is over. Too often works have been carried out without adequate preparation, training and supervision and have been of poor quality. In other cases, managers and enterprises have been trained and equipped but could not continue subsequently to apply their skills and have found themselves unemployed or bankrupt.
Labour can carry out all operations for engineered earth road construction and maintenance, and a range of more resilient surfaces. A range of more durable surfaces are also ideal for LB applications. Compaction can be provided by intermediate equipment and tractor based simple attachments.
In conclusion, labour-based works must be introduced within a high level commitment to privatisation to local firms, decentralisation, employment creation and poverty alleviation. Labour-based works can be powerful policy instruments to support these objectives. However, without a real rather than rhetorical commitment of government and donors they will not realise their potential.
The experiences of previous initiatives indicate that good performance and substantial local social benefits of LB roadworks have been due to a number of preparatory and operational developments and principles:
- Local community motivated to be involved with construction, rehabilitation or maintenance of their transport infrastructure;
- Community labour able to walk or cycle to work each day, thus avoiding the need for additional accommodation, transport costs and the related carbon footprint;
- Government policy, standards, specifications, legal framework in place to ALLOW labour-based roadworks on the road network;
- Contract documentation and Force Account systems ALLOW the various technology options to be used;
- LB works are broken down into simple tasks that can be set out and controlled using basic tools and templates;
- Fair daily Task Rates and productivity rates available appropriate for the local environment;
- Construction quality handtools provided and any necessary safety protection (e.g. gloves, goggles etc.). Experience is that reasonably able bodied persons can complete ‘task and go’ in about 5 hours;
- Basic support equipment is available for operations for which labour is not best suited (e.g. haulage and compaction);
- Supervisory staff are trained in LB roadworks and how to plan, instruct, supervise and control the works to achieve the necessary quality output and productivity;
- Training materials and manuals available;
- Safety arrangements in place to protect the labourers and road users; Simple paper-based planning and reporting systems in place;
- Workload continuity for trained contractors and local consultants;
- Affordable finance for contractor development and ensuring consistently timely contract certificate payments;
- LB (and other roadworks technology) approaches must be included in local civil engineering education and training curricula;
- Institutionalised training capacity and accreditation for labour based and rural engineering skills, and equitable arrangements to pay for them.
Guidance on all of these issues, training materials and manuals are available to download from the following websites: ILO, gTKP, RECAP, SSATP, TRL, TRB, World Bank, ERA, Zambia MWS.
