The Sanctity of Contracts in English Law - College of Social ...

Labour Legislation 33Revolution and of the social and economic changesfollowing two World Wars, the legislature has remodelledmuch of the framework and contents of ourindustrial law. In no part of it has this been morepronounced than in the law of contracts. Examplescan be given from the fields of Factory and similarlegislation and of Trade Union law.Speaking generally English law secures to anemployed person the freedom to work and use hisskill and to decide for whom he shall work; andit secures to an employer formal freedom to determinewhom he shall employ. 27 This is the freedom to whichparticular regard is had when reference is made tothe movement from status to contract. But eventhroughout the nineteenth century the legislatureintroduced many and varied restrictions on this freedom.Thus, for social and humanitarian reasons,women were prohibited from working undergroundin mines; boys and girls (now up to the school-leavingage of 15) were debarred from employment in factories,mines, quarries and other industrial undertakings.Prohibitions or limitations have been imposed on theemployment of young persons (male and femaleemployees between school-leaving age and 18 years)in connection with dangerous machinery and thelifting and moving of heavy weights.Furthermore, during the last century and thepresent one, the legislature has imposed numerous27 The legislature has now created an important exception tothis right. Under the Disabled Persona (Employment) Act,1944, an employer of 20 or more persons must give employmentto a quota of registered disabled persons or at leastbe ready to allocate vacancies for that purpose.