combination laws
Definition
- Noun (plural):
- Historical labor legislation: "combination laws" refers to a series of British laws enacted in the late 18th and early 19th centuries that prohibited workers from forming trade unions or engaging in collective bargaining, deeming such associations illegal "combinations" against employers.
Usage Examples
- (These laws outlawed trade unions as illegal conspiracies.)
- (The removal of these restrictions allowed workers to organize legally.)
Advanced Usage
- "to be subject to combination laws": to be restricted by these historical prohibitions.
- Early industrial workers were subject to combination laws that prevented them from striking. (They were legally forbidden from forming unions or striking.)
- "the spirit of the combination laws": the general principle of suppressing worker associations.
- Even after repeal, the spirit of the combination laws persisted in some judicial rulings against unions. (The underlying opposition to labor organizing continued.)
Variants and Related Words
- Combination (n): an association or union, especially for a common purpose.
- The workers' combination was deemed illegal under the old laws. (Their union was considered unlawful.)
- Combination Act (n): a specific statute within the combination laws.
- The Combination Act of 1799 was the most notorious of these restrictions. (A particular law banning worker coalitions.)
Synonyms
- Anti-union legislation: laws designed to suppress labor unions.
- Labor prohibition laws: statutes forbidding worker associations.
Related Idioms
- "to fall under the combination laws": to be considered an illegal union.
- Any attempt to negotiate collectively fell under the combination laws at the time. (It was automatically treated as a crime.)
- "to repeal the combination laws": to remove legal barriers against unions.
- Parliament repealed the combination laws in 1824 after widespread protest. (They abolished the anti-union statutes.)