Sierra Leonean Mining Migrants, Their Composition and Origins

Abstract

Since I930 mining in Sierra Leone has been one of the principal sources of industrial wage labour and the company mines have drawn workers from every part of the country. With minor exceptions there is no formal recruitment of labour. Record cards held by the companies afford details of their labour forces, which allow an examination of the distances migrated according to workers' compositional characteristics-such as marital status, job type, literacy and previous employmenttogether with their specific origin which can be designated either urban or rural. Unlike other locations in Africa there is little difference between the origins of single and married men, and the substantial number of married workers gives rise to stable labour forces. However, in terms of job skill and literacy, both amongst married and single workers, there are striking differences in the mean distances moved to find employment. Illiterate unskilled workers with no previous job experience form a localized component, generally from rural locations, with a strong bias towards a particular ethnic group. In contrast, skilled literate workers with previous experience come from farther afield, and especially from towns. By virtue of their education and work experience this group exhibits a higher degree of mobility, related to movements amongst the larger urban centres. Analysis of origins and migration histories suggest that the concept of step-wise migration needs treating with some caution, and an alternative descriptive model is proposed which seems more appropriate to labour migration in Sierra Leone. THE MINING INDUSTRY-EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND MIGRATION THE development of the mining industry in Sierra Leone has been responsible for radical changes in population distribution since its inception in 1930. This has been effected at two different levels. First, through company mining financed by Euro-American capital, and after I950 by the growth and organization of native diamond mining. Foreign owned companies, partly state controlled since I97I, are engaged in mining diamonds (SLST, now DIMINCO), iron ore (DELCO), bauxite (SIEROMCO) and rutile (Sherbro Minerals). All mining operations in Sierra Leone use opencast methods, and the actual locations are shown in Figure i. Both company and native mining have led to permanent migration, the emergence of new towns and expansion of existing ones, although native diamond mining has a strong element of seasonality with population moving between farm and diggings (K. Swindell, 1966). The number of workers in those chiefdoms declared open for diamond mining fluctuates between 30 ooo in the dry season and i8 ooo during the rains. The permanent labour force of the companies amounts to some 6000. If these numbers seem relatively small it must be remembered that Sierra Leone has a population of just over two million and is about the size of Scotland. In addition, those in wage earning or salaried employment number approximately one in six of the working male population over ten years of age. Consequently the importance of mining employment is underlined by the general shortage of wage earning opportunities. Sierra Leone is still predominantly an agricultural country, and any enquiry into migration or mining should be viewed against a 'backdrop' of small farmers cultivating food staples for their own use, together with the exchange of surpluses and the sale of some cash crops. Opportunities for wage and salaried employment are strongly orientated towards the government services, the expatriate commercial companies, and the mines. Much temporary employment is