Page 46 - A Life - my Live - my path

The journey - coal miner’s community

We were given a house located in the Monceau-Fontaine
mining company's community.
The house had a cellar, a coal store and a rainwater tank.
On the ground floor were the kitchen and dining room.
Upstairs were 3 bedrooms and a convertible attic. Outside,
there was a shed, an old-fashioned toilet and a garden.
Compared with San Giovanni Lipioni, we had all the space
we needed for a family of 4.
In 1958, my paternal grandparents came to live with us.
I shared a room with them until I was 20. To take in my
grandparents, my father had to sign a waiver stipulating that
he would not seek state assistance in the event of illness.
So there were 6 of us living on my father's salary alone.
Something to think about!

Following these changes, and upon advice from one of the
managers, my father trained as a blaster , which was
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intended to increase his salary. He received an advance
payment every week and was paid on a fortnightly basis.

Comment: miners’ wages
In 1955, as a miner in the coal galleries, lying with his
sledgehammer in his hand, his first pay was 196 Belgian
francs (€4.86) a day. After two months, at the beginning of
1956, he asked to work on consolidating the galleries and
earned 230 Belgian francs a day (€5.70). At shaft no. 14 in
Goutroux, his salary had risen to 270 Belgian francs
(€6.69) a day, and finally upon becoming a blaster, his

48 The blaster is an essential and dangerous job. He handles the explosives and
triggers the explosions that break up the coal seams.
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