The Combination Act 1799 (
39 Geo. 3. c. 81) titled "An Act to prevent Unlawful Combinations of Workmen", prohibited
trade union
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
s and
collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...
by British workers. The act received royal assent on 12 July 1799.
An additional act, the (
39 & 40 Geo. 3. c. 106), was passed the following year.
Background
The 1799 and 1800 acts were passed under the government of
William Pitt the Younger as a response to
Jacobin
The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political cl ...
activity and the fear of then-
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...
the
Duke of Portland that workers would strike during a conflict to force the government to accede to their demands. Collectively these acts were known as the Combination Acts. Under these laws any combination of two or more masters, or two or more workmen, to lower or raise wages, or to increase or diminish the number of hours of work, or quantity of work to be done, was punishable at
common law
Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...
as a misdemeanour.
Significance
The legislation drove labour organisations underground. Sympathy for the plight of the workers brought repeal of the acts in 1824. Lobbying by the radical tailor
Francis Place played a role in this. However, in response to the series of strikes that followed, the
Combinations of Workmen Act 1825 (
6 Geo. 4. c. 129) was passed, which allowed trade unions but severely restricted their activity.
See also
*
UK labour law
United Kingdom labour law regulates the relations between workers, employers and trade unions. People at work in the UK have a minimum set of employment rights, from Acts of Parliament, Regulations, common law and equity (legal concept), equity. ...
*
Le Chapelier Law 1791, a similar law in France
*''
The Making of the English Working Class'' by E. P. Thompson
Notes
References
External links
Partial text of the Combination Act of 1800
{{Authority control
Great Britain Acts of Parliament 1799
Repealed Great Britain Acts of Parliament
18th century in labor relations
Legal history of the United Kingdom
History of labour law
United Kingdom labour law
Trade union legislation
British trade unions history
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
William Pitt the Younger