Trade Boards Act 1909

• The Trade Boards Act (1909) was one of the several acts dealing with employment. It provided for the creation of boards in specific sweated trades (matchbox making, lace making and tailoring etc) that could negotiate for, and set, legally enforceable minimum wage criteria.
• Although some 200000 workers were involved, no attempt was made to define what was meant by a minimum wage.
• This act meant wages were no longer arrived at by a private agreement between employer and employee.