Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British government department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It took over the Board of Trade's responsibilities for conciliation, labour exchanges, labour and industrial relations and employment related statistics.
Post-WWI: the ministry supervised the demobilisation and resettlement of ex-servicemen
1920s It took over all Board of Education's work relating to youth employment. It also acquired powers relating to training and employment of the disabled from the Ministry of Pensions, and the supervision of regulations relating to registration of trade unions.
In the inter-war period, the bulk of the ministry's work concerned industrial relations and unemployment relief. The ministry extended its control over minimum wages through the 1918 Trade Boards Act, helped establish joint industrial councils, and set up the Industrial Court in 1919 to supplement existing arbitration machinery.
It also drew up numerous amendments to the Unemployment Insurance Acts, administered benefits through employment exchanges, created special public works schemes to cater for the unemployed (administered through the Unemployment Grants Committee), and took an active part in the International Labour Organization (from 1919).
1938 the ministry set up National Service Committees to encourage voluntary national service.
1939 the ministry took on a wide range of wartime functions and changed its title to the Ministry of Labour and National Service (MLNS). Although many of these functions were confined to the war period, a number endured well beyond it. It allocated people to work between the armed forces, civil defence and industry, and to administer the Schedule of Reserved Occupations.
The MLNS gradually acquired greater controls over all aspects of employment. Assistance was provided by the National Joint Advisory Council (comprising employers' and workers' representatives). At the end of the War, the National Service Department was wound up and its functions passed to the Military Recruitment Department.
1941 To co-ordinate the work of its various departments and to ensure the effective deployment of labour resources, the MLNS was divided into two sectors. One controlled the essentially peacetime work of the MLNS while the other co-ordinated work relating to manpower statistics and intelligence, armed forces recruitment, civilian war work, general training and labour supply problems.
1945 powers relating to unemployment insurance and the unemployment assistance scheme were transferred to the Ministry of National Insurance. The MLNS retained control of employment exchanges. General responsibility for distribution of industry and policy in allocated Development Areas passed to the Board of Trade, but the MLNS remained concerned in the supply, distribution and efficient use of manpower.
The MLNS was involved in recruitment, training and employment of foreign workers; resettlement of ex-regular members of the Forces; industrial rehabilitation, training and employment of the disabled; supply of qualified technical and scientific workers; recruitment and distribution of nurses and midwives, and running of an expanded youth employment service.
1959 After compulsory military service had been formally abolished, the ministry's title reverted to its pre-war form. The ministry rationalised some of its responsibilities in the areas of Wages Councils and management of industrial estates.
1961 the Professional and Executive Register and the Technical and Scientific Registers were discontinued and services to disabled persons and training facilities for the unemployed reduced. However, subsequent legislation broadened the ministry's responsibilities.
Under the Industrial Training Act 1964, the minister was empowered to create industrial training boards for specific industries. Following legislation in 1965 and 1966, the minister became responsible for management of the Redundancy Fund (set up to provide a financial basis for redundancy compensatory payments) and was empowered to declare specific industrial establishments exempt from selective employment tax.
The ministry also continued to control employment of foreigners under the Aliens Order 1953 and the Commonwealth Immigrants Acts 1962 and 1968.
1968 It was renamed the Department of Employment and Productivity
1970 Became the Department of Employment.
Most of its functions are now performed by the Department for Work and Pensions.