History of Labour Law in The United Kingdom - Liberal Reforms From 1906

Liberal Reforms From 1906

Around the start of the 20th century, the judiciary moved into a reactionary phase, passing the notorious judgment of Taff Vale Railway Co v Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, which made trade unions liable in economic tort for the costs of industrial action. Although a combination of employers in a company could dismiss employees without notice, a combination of employees in a trade union could not, by withdrawing their labour, do the same without sanction. This was soon reversed by an increasingly representative Parliament after the United Kingdom general election, 1906. A coalition government composed of the Labour Party and the Liberals, among whom David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill were rising stars, quickly passed the Trade Disputes Act 1906. This laid down the essential principle of collective labour law that any strike "in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute" is immune from discriminatory civil law sanctions. The Old Age Pensions Act 1908 provided some minimum security for people who retired, the Trade Boards Act 1909 created industrial panels that would fix minimum wages and the National Insurance Act 1911 levied a fee to insure people got benefits in the event of unemployment.

• Workmen's Compensation Act 1906