The formation of a minimum wage system by the Board of Trade in Britain : a study on the Trade Boards Act of 1909

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  • イギリス商務院と最低賃金制度の形成 : 1909年産業委員会法をめぐって
  • イギリス ショウムイン ト サイテイ チンギン セイド ノ ケイセイ 1909ネン サンギョウ イインカイホウ オ メグッテ

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Abstract

By enacting the Trade Boards Act of 1909, Britain became the first major country to introduce a minimum wage system in the modern age. In this paper, the author tries to elucidate the formative process of the Trade Boards Act by focusing on the organisational characteristics of the Board of Trade, which introduced the act. Most studies thus far have assumed that leading civil servants on the Board of Trade were progressive-minded and that they eagerly pushed forward minimum wage legislation driven by their radicalism. In fact, however, those civil servants at the Board of Trade regarded the promotion of British export trade rather than the improvement of working conditions of labourers as their most important duty. As a result, they consistently resisted introducing minimum wage legislation in fear of its negative effect on the competitiveness of the British industry. Nevertheless, minimum wage legislation was decided by the cabinet mainly due to the urgings of Home Secretary Herbert Gladstone. However, the Board of Trade took the place of the Home Office and took charge of the minimum wage system. Subsequently, due to the management by the civil servants on the Board of Trade, the Trade Boards Act was emasculated.

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