Nature of working class in Bangladesh

There can be no study of industrial relations without an analysis of industrial workers, who are the prime-movers of commerce and industry. Working class is made up of people who earn livelihood by selling physical or manual labor. This working class cannot control other factors of production such as land, capital and machinery. The owners buy their labor for a price, which is known as pay or wages. Carl Marx called the proletariat section of the community as working class.

The organized working class in Bangladesh is not very large. The country has long been ruled by the foreigners who did not set up strong industrial base in the country. They used it as a source of raw materials. In spite of limitations a good number of industries have been established since 1950. Most of the workers have come from the rural areas. Their socio-economic conditions are very poor. Most of them are living below the poverty level. Government has not yet formulated a sound labor policy to protect and promote the interest of the working class. Rather government takes the side of the employers in the name of capital accumulation and industrial development. The working class is living from hands to mouths.