Agricultural Wages (Regulation) Act 1924
Encyclopedia
The Agricultural Wages Act 1924 (14 & 15 Geo. V c. 37) was an Act of Parliament
in the United Kingdom
passed in 1924 by the minority Labour Government.
It was the first attempt since the ill-fated Agriculture Act 1920
to establish minimum wage
s for farm labourers. These wages were to be controlled by County Wage Committees, allowing wages to be set on a local level rather than a single national scale.
These County Committees were independent of central government, and some set very low minimums, but the level of pay did slowly improve. An early draft of the Bill had the Minister of Agriculture power to override the decisions of the County Committees if they made decisions he felt unfair, but this clause was struck out by the Liberals before the bill was passed.
The law was repealed by the Agricultural Wages Act 1948.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
passed in 1924 by the minority Labour Government.
It was the first attempt since the ill-fated Agriculture Act 1920
Agriculture Act 1920
The Agriculture Act 1920 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom passed in December 1920 by the Coalition Government....
to establish minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
s for farm labourers. These wages were to be controlled by County Wage Committees, allowing wages to be set on a local level rather than a single national scale.
These County Committees were independent of central government, and some set very low minimums, but the level of pay did slowly improve. An early draft of the Bill had the Minister of Agriculture power to override the decisions of the County Committees if they made decisions he felt unfair, but this clause was struck out by the Liberals before the bill was passed.
The law was repealed by the Agricultural Wages Act 1948.