Introduction
Every country has well-defined working conditions. The implementation and adherence of the set labor rules determine the nature of economic growth and development. Labor is a very important factor of production, hence the great need for governments to regulate working terms by introducing policies and rules that employers must implement in order for employees to function under habitable environments (Timmerman 34).
Therefore, every country has unique working conditions that depend on the nature of governance and other economic factors. The United States has one of the best working conditions in the world; on the other hand, Bangladesh is an underdeveloped country, and thus employees function under unpleasant environments.
Contrasting working conditions in Bangladesh and the US
Bangladesh is a densely populated third world country and it has poor working conditions. Unlike the United States, the country’s majority population comprises people who do not have formal skills. Therefore, most individuals are employed as casual laborers in the few existing industries in the country.
The most flourished sector is the ready-made garment industry. In addition, Bangladesh is not highly industrialized, hence very few employment opportunities to sustain the huge demand for labor due to high population density. Bangladesh is the world’s largest exporter of labor where the government colludes with other administrations to export labor in order to reduce the pressure from the unemployed population.
On the other hand, the United States is the world’s most flourished nation and despite the high population density, its economy can create enough employment opportunities. Therefore, unemployment rates are lower than in most countries across the world. The majority of the people have formal skills because the government facilitates basic needs for human development. In addition, the education sector is prioritized in the country’s budget to enable most people to access education.
The United States, just like Bangladesh, has labor working conditions that must be adhered to by all employers in a bid to ensure that employees enjoy habitable working environments. The United States is an industrialized nation, and thus it is capable of absorbing population with formal skills as well as enabling others to become entrepreneurs. Surprisingly, majority of individuals in the United States do not like undertaking manual jobs as casual laborers, and thus they have created jobs for immigrants including the Bangladeshi citizens.
Bangladesh has poor working conditions. The government has failed to regulate the labor sector in the country. The nation has well-defined regulations in the labor sector just like in most nations across the world. The regulations include international labor laws that address industrial relations. However, employers and the regulatory body do not adhere to set regulations. Therefore, employers take advantage of the situation to maximize their profits by depriving employees their right to good working conditions.
According to the law, employers should make a formal agreement with employees and sign an employment contract, which act as a binding policy between the two parties. Nevertheless, casual laborers are hired informally without any written agreement, which enables employers to exploit employees, hence creating deplorable working conditions in the country. The problem is highly associated with the high level of corruption in the government that hinders the involved bodies from protecting the employees against exploitative employers.
On the other hand, the United States has one of the best working conditions. The government has strict regulations that govern the labor sector under the regulation of the federal and state governments. However, labor regulations vary from state to state depending on the nature of economic activities. The regulations are designed to avoid biasness as they protect the rights of employees and employers, as they are both vital for economic growth and development of the country. Upon employment, the employee and employer are supposed to sign an employment contract that binds both of them until it expires.
However, the contract agreement can end prematurely due to a court order, death, or justified dismal of the employee among other reasons that are legally valid. The reasons for dismissal are well defined to reduce the chances of either employee or an employer taking advantage of situations to exploit the other party due to personal interests.
The country’s justice system, both at federal and state levels, is keen on ensuring that labor regulations are followed and stiff penalties are imposed to law breakers. These regulations have helped the government to eradicate some labor problems such as child labor and discrimination in the workplace and other problems that existed before the enactment of the rules.
Working conditions are made suitable for employees by considering various factors and among them is wages. Remuneration packages form part of the motivation aspects for employees, and thus it determines the economic performance of companies. Every country should have a government policy on minimum wage that an employee should earn.
In Bangladesh, the issue of wages has been a matter of discussion for a longtime and the government has set the minimum wage at 3,000 taka per month as of 2011. Most casual laborers working in ready garment industry are women and they are the least paid employees in Bangladesh. The minimum wage is far below the standard, as it does not match the high level of inflation that country is currently going through. Therefore, the country does not have sustainable minimum wage to cater for the needs of its citizens.
On the contrary, the United States does not have a set minimum wage standard, as the employees’ contributions are determined per hourly basis. According to Ahamed, the issue of wage regulation is still “going through political debates to ensure that it cushions employees against inflation as well as protecting the ability of employers to make sustainable profits in many countries, and thus the United States cannot be said to have established the best minimum wage” (8).
The hourly minimum wage is reasonable, as it is sustainable for employees who work for at least eight hours in a day. Despite the differences in economic levels, Bangladesh has weak regulations of minimum wages because its citizens are deprived the right to wages that cushions them against economic fluctuations such as inflation.
Another crucial factor to be considered in the labor issue is the maximum working hours. According to the Bangladesh labor laws, an employee should work for a maximum of ten hours in a day. However, according to Noman, “this is not always the case in practicality because employees in ready-made garment industry work for longer hours, although it is illegal…ten hours working time is found to be too much for a person, but the economic situation and corruption in Bangladesh allows for the violation of the law by employers” (252).
On the contrary, the United States has well-defined system of working hours whereby a male employee can only work for a maximum of 8.4 hours in a day and 7.7 hours for women. The system is considered one of the best for considering gender differences, hence allowing women to work for fewer hours than men. The maximum working hours were determined by considering economic factors such as demand for labor and human dignity and health matters.
Few working hours allow other people to secure employment whereby duties are in shifts, thus enabling the country to provide employment opportunities to its large population. People should work for a considerable duration in a bid to create time for other activities. People should strike a work-life balance in a bid to lead satisfying lives. The Bangladeshi government does not consider any of these factors, but it allows employees to work for long hours without proper overtime remuneration procedures.
Conclusion
Distinct differences exist between working conditions in Bangladesh and the United States. Both countries have large populations, but they have outstanding differences in the level of economic wellbeing. The economic wellbeing plays a major role in determining the level of working conditions. The United States is capable of paying its citizens good minimum wages ,while Bangladesh does not offer considerable minimum wages to cushion citizens against inflation and other economic fluctuations.
In addition, Bangladesh allows its employees to work for longer hours than their counterparts in the United States. However, employees in Bangladesh earn meager wages due to poor policy implementation, corruption, and poor performing economy. Therefore, Bangladesh has poor working conditions due to poor economic wellbeing as well as bad governance.
Works Cited
Ahamed, Ferdous. “Job dissatisfaction in the Bangladesh ready-made garment sector- to what extend HR/IR practices can grow exhilaration of RMG workers?” International Journal of Business and Management Review 2.1 (2014): 1-12. Print.
Noman, Soeb. “Determination of minimum wage for garments worker in Bangladesh ensuring firms’ profitability.” International Journal of Economics, Finance, and Management 2.3 (2013): 250-255. Print.
Timmerman, Kelsey. Where am I wearing: a global tour to the countries, factories and people that make our clothes? New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.