<P> After a study of the minimum wage laws in Australia and New Zealand The Liberal Party acted to set up a minimum wage in the most heavily sweated or underpaid industries , as part of a broad range of social reforms . Winston Churchill , president of the Board of Trade , introduced the Trade Boards Act in 1909 . It created boards that set minimum wage criteria that were legally enforceable . The main provision was to set minimum wages in certain trades with the history of low wages , because of surplus of available workers , the presence of women workers , or the lack of skills . At first it applied to four industries : chain - making , ready - made dresses . paper - box making , and the machine - made lace and finishing trade . About 70 per cent of their 200,000 workers were women . </P>
<P> After a study of the minimum wage laws in Australia and New Zealand The Liberal Party acted to set up a minimum wage in the most heavily sweated or underpaid industries , as part of a broad range of social reforms . Winston Churchill , president of the Board of Trade , introduced the Trade Boards Act in 1909 . It created boards that set minimum wage criteria that were legally enforceable . The main provision was to set minimum wages in certain trades with the history of low wages , because of surplus of available workers , the presence of women workers , or the lack of skills . At first it applied to four industries : chain - making , ready - made dresses . paper - box making , and the machine - made lace and finishing trade . About 70 per cent of their 200,000 workers were women . </P>
when was the minimum wage introduced in uk
when was the minimum wage introduced in uk
1909
1909