Here is a website by a well known photographer and teacher, who visited that part of Bangladesh (he is also a videographer and perhaps the video you saw was partly his doing). He has a pic of a cable gang:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/locations/ship-breaking.shtml

His conclusion:

I am not a social activist. I went to the yards with my workshop's members to simply photograph what I knew to be one of the world's most fascinating locations for unique images. But, I was deeply affected by the working conditions at Chittagong, as I was with the fact that this incredibly poor country still has child labour, and numerous other social ills, at least by the standards of advanced western countries.

There are organizations that are working with the people and government of Bangladesh to address these ills, and though it isn't the intent of this photo essay to grind any axes, maybe in its own small way it will draw the world's attention to this distressing situation.

Is this our future?

Yes. But first and foremost in agriculture.