The developments of minimum wage legislation in the United Kingdom

This thesis presents an examination of the legal developments made in wage regulations within the United Kingdom. The period that has been chosen for examination spans from the 18th to the 21st century. This period was chosen for examination due to the huge social, political, economic and legal changes that took place within the United Kingdom during these years. These changes saw major developments made within the field of employment law and worker’s rights in general. This period also saw the enactment of the first piece of legislation that regulated wages in the industrial world – the Trade Boards Act of 1909. This thesis examines the journey that the United Kingdom took since the enactment of the 1909 Act that lead to the current system of wage regulation – The National Minimum Wage Act 1998. This thesis has also touched on various campaigns that have called for a Living Wage and has assessed what impact these have had on Government policy. It looks at the National Living Wage, that was introduced in 2016, and examines whether this is a living wage in the sense of the word.