Conspiracy, and Protection of Property Act 1875
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act for amending the Law relating to Conspiracy, and to the Protection of Property, and for other purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 38 & 39 Vict. c. 86 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 13 August 1875 |
| Commencement | 1 September 1875 |
| Repealed | 21 July 2008 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes | Statute of Artificers 1562 |
| Amended by | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2008 |
| Relates to | |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Conspiracy, and Protection of Property Act 1875 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. 86) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom relating to labour relations, which together with the Employers and Workmen Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. 90), fully decriminalised the work of trade unions. Based on an extension of the conclusions of the Cockburn Commission, it was introduced by a Conservative government under Benjamin Disraeli.
The act held that a trade union could not be prosecuted for act which would be legal if conducted by an individual. This meant that labour disputes were civil matters, not for consideration by criminal courts. One result of this was that picketing was decriminalised. The law also made certain forms of stalking illegal.