Results for Combination Act
On this page:
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:

Combination Acts


British acts of 1799 and 1800 that outlawed trade unions. The laws made it illegal for any workingman to combine with another to gain an increase in wages or a decrease in hours, to solicit anyone else to leave work, or to object to working with any other workman. They were repealed in 1824 through the efforts of the radical reformer Francis Place (1771 – 1854).

For more information on Combination Acts, visit Britannica.com.

 
 
British History: Combination Acts

Combination Acts, 1799-1800. These Acts were directed against trade unions (combinations of workmen) when the government feared unrest and even revolution. They failed to crush the unions, but did force them to operate circumspectly or secretly. Repeal of the Acts came in 1824-5 after a campaign master-minded by Place and presented by Joseph Hume, and was followed by an upsurge in trade union activity.

 
Wikipedia: Combination Act
Acts of Parliament of predecessor
states to the United Kingdom

Acts of English Parliament to 1601
Acts of English Parliament to 1641
Acts and Ordinances (Interregnum) to 1660
Acts of English Parliament to 1699
Acts of English Parliament to 1706
Acts of Parliament of Scotland
Acts of Irish Parliament to 1700
Acts of Irish Parliament to 1800
Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom

1707–1719 | 1720–1739 | 1740–1759
1760–1779 | 1780–1800 | 1801–1819
1820–1839 | 1840–1859 | 1860–1879
1880–1899 | 1900–1919 | 1920–1939
1940–1959 | 1960–1979 | 1980–1999
2000–Present
Acts of the Scottish Parliament
Acts of the Northern Ireland Parliament
Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Measures of the National Assembly for Wales
Orders in Council for Northern Ireland
United Kingdom Statutory Instruments

The Combination Act of 1799, titled An Act to prevent Unlawful Combinations of Workmen (short title 39 Geo. III, c. 81), prohibited trade unions and collective bargaining by British workers. An additional act was passed in 1800 (39 & 40 Geo III c. 106). Following their repeal in 1824, the Combination Act of 1825 was passed. Collectively these acts were known as the Combination Laws.The 1799 and 1800 acts were passed under the government of William Pitt the Younger as a response to Jacobite activity and the fear that workers would strike during a conflict to force the government to accede to their demands. The legislation drove the 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 Combination Act of 1825 was passed, which allowed labour unions but severely restricted their activity.

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "Combination Act" at WikiAnswers.

 

Copyrights:

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
British History. A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Combination Act".  Read more

Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!  
Click here to download now. 

Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.

On this page:   E-mail   print Print  Link  

 

Keep Reading

Mentioned In:

 |  More >More >
 

Do you have the answers?