Master and Servant Act 1867
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Statute Law as between Master and Servant. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 30 & 31 Vict. c. 141 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 20 August 1867 |
| Commencement | 20 August 1867 |
| Repealed | 1 September 1875 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Statute Law Revision Act 1875 |
| Repealed by | Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875 |
| Relates to | |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Master and Servant Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 141) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which sought to criminalize breach of contract by workers against their employers. Although it did still give employers and prosecutors warrant to prosecute breach of contract the act was more progressive than the former standard set by the Combinations of Workmen Act 1825 (6 Geo. 4. c. 129) whereby employees seeking to form labor unions and such could be prosecuted for criminal conspiracy in restraint of trade. Under the new standard employees could only be charged for "aggrevated cases" and breach of contract, which was at the time seen as an improvement.
Of note is the fact that this piece of legislation was passed by the conservative statesman Benjamin Disraeli and his likewise conservative political bloc.