Introduction to Industrial

Relation & Law

Week-1

Introduction
Human

resources is a term used to

describe the individuals who comprise the
workforce of an organization, for example,
business sectors or even whole nations.

Human resources is also the name of the

function within an organization charged

with
the
overall
responsibility
for
implementing
strategies
and
policies
relating to the management of individuals.
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The field of human resources management is

greatly influenced and shaped by the country

and the laws governing employment issues.
Indeed, regulations and laws govern all
aspects of human resource management
recruitment,
placement,
development,
compensation, dispute resolution and many
more.
At present time issues of fair pay, holiday,

maternity leave, workplace safety, right to

form unions are of paramount importance in
managing the human resources of an
organisation.

Industrial law
What is industrial law and relations?
Human resources in any organisation, business or
an industry is governed by some rules and
regulations.
There are various standardised practices that are
followed in managing the human capital of any
organisation.
The law of various country and the social
structure provides legal framework for dealing
with employee and labour
Thus the industrial law refers to the legal rules that
prevail in various industries found in any country.
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History
1926- Trade Union Act, was introduced by

British rulers. The main purpose of the Act was

to provide for the registration of trade unions
and in certain respects, define the law relating
to registered trade unions. But the Act did NOT
contain any provision regarding strikes.
1929- Trade Disputes Act was introduced. It
had put restrictions on strikes in public utility
services.
The
Act
provided
for
the
establishment of tribunals to adjudicate upon
the labour disputes
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1947- Industrial Disputes Act was

introduces. It placed the conciliation and

adjudication machinery for the settlement of
industrial disputes on a permanent footing
1965- The East Pakistan Trade Unions

Act was enacted repealing the Trade Unions

Act, 1926. The Act could not facilitate healthy
growth of trade unions as it was more
restrictive on the freedom of association and
right to organize

The period between 1947 and 1969 was thus marked by a

host of repressive laws and witnessed labour agitation
and widespread industrial unrest.
1969- Industrial Relations Ordinance which

was an integration of (Labour Disputes Act, 1965)

and (Trade Unions Act, 1965) which made provisions
for recognition of collective bargaining agents for
establishment or group of establishments. It was a
landmark development in the evolution of collective
bargaining in Bangladesh.

Since independence of Bangladesh, no major

development took place in the history of labor
legislation
till
the
enactment
of
the
Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006
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Relationship

between management and

employees or among employees and their
organization that characterize and grow out
of employment.

Yoder

defined IR as a relationship
between management and employees or
among employees and their organization,
that
characterize
and
grow
out
of
employment.

According to ILO, IRs deal with either the

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relationships between
the state and the
employers and the workers organization or

Causes of IR in Bangladesh

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Importance of IR in
Bangladesh

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Models of IR
Dunlopian Model

Conflict model

Social Action Model

The Human Relations Model

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The major industries of Bangladesh constitutes of

10 sectors. These areAgriculture, forestry and fisheries

Mining and quarrying
Manufacturing
Electricity gas and water
Construction
Trade, hotel and restaurant
Transport, storage and communication
Finance and business services and real estate
Health, education public administration and defense
Community and personal services

Out of these industries Construction and Agriculture Industries

do NOT fall under the provisions of Bangladesh labor Law 2006
as the workers in those industries are considered as INFORMAL
WORKERS
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The Labour Law of Bangladesh is a complex

and curious mix of different legislations,

regulations and ordinances. Before the
adoption of Labour Act of 2006, there were
about 46 laws in force in Bangladesh
encompassing labour and industrial sectors.
After the enactment of the Labour Act, twenty
five of the prevailing enactments stood
repealed and were amalgamated.

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The labour law of Bangladesh can be found in

various Acts of parliament. The most recent is
the labour law 2006.
Apart from that the constitution of the peoples
republic of Bangladesh provides provisions for
fundamental rights and freedoms which is aimed
to create a society free from exploitations.
The Fundamental Rights cover, inter alia,
equality
before
the
law;
prohibition
of
discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste,
sex or place of birth; equality of opportunity in
matters of public employment, protection of
rights,
freedom
to
form
assembly
and
associations etc.
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Nature of organisations
Apart from all these historical sources the

type of law or rule that is followed in any

particular business also depends on the
nature of the organisation.
For industrial relation purposes organisations
are categorised mainly as
1. Unitary
2. Pluralistic
3. Marxist/Radical

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Unitary
The unitarty perspective is based upon the

assumption that the organisation and the

members are "one happy family", where
management and other members of the staff all
share a common purpose, emphasizing mutual
cooperation and they have a set of common
values, interests and objectives. Furthermore,
unitarism has a paternalistic approach where it
demands on all employees loyalty, being
predominantly managerial in its emphasis and
application.

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The advantage of a unitary organisation is

that it helps to develop a harmonious

relationship throughout the organisation.
It helps to direct all the members towards a
common goal which as a result helps to
achieve the overall business objectives and
goals.
It helps create employee loyalty and the
management is also expected to be more
cooperative towards members rights and
liabilities.

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The draw back of a unitary organisation is that

conflict with organisations rules is seen as an

irrational activity thus it tries to supress the
members who may react to company rules.
Here
trade
unions
are
regarded
as
unnecessary
As members cannot form association it often
may hamper fundamental rights.

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Pluralistic organisation

In pluralistic organisations management and

employees are considered to have their own

rights and liabilities. That in one hand the
management on the other the trade union or
associations.
Good thing is that this kind of organisations
have a more united workforce and can
manage their own conflicts with management
through unity.
On the other hand there is the possibility of
having disruption in organisational goals and
objectives.
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Marxist/Radical

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HRD Approach
HRD approach recognizes employees as the

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greatest assets.
Adjust individual to the job environment &
enhance their capabilities.
Greatest involvement of employees
It is believed that employees are great
assets & they can be developed through
incentives, atmosphere & treatment.
Integrate human need with organizational
requirements.
Proactive & collaborative where relation
matter most and not rules.

Conclusion
Industrial relations is a large and diversified

topic. It encompasses the relation between

the human resources primarily but the
interrelation between all the sectors of a
country that is the society, industry and the
political factors all play an important role in
determining the rules and laws that prevail
in any given organisation.

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