The National Committee of Organised Labour for Promoting Old Age Pensions for All, often shortened to National Committee of Organised Labour, was a British campaign group established at the end of the nineteenth century which sought the introduction of a general-tax funded old-age pension. The campaign succeeded with the introduction of the

Old Age Pensions Act 1908 The Old-Age Pensions Act 1908 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, passed in 1908. The Act is often regarded as one of the foundations of modern social welfare in both the present-day United Kingdom and the ...

Origins

Poverty in old age was, in the late 19th century, widely recognised by social reformers as a problem capable of solution. Canon W. L. Blackley, sometime Rector of North Waltham and of King's Somborne, had called for a sick-pay and pensions system based on national insurance contributions in 1878. From 1885 Charles Booth's work had provided insight into the poverty of old age. Trade unions, friendly societies, and individuals such as

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the Cons ...

, Samuel Barnett, George Cadbury and

Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree, CH (7 July 1871 – 7 October 1954) was an English sociological researcher, social reformer and industrialist. He is known in particular for his three York studies of poverty conducted in 1899, 1935, and 1951. The fi ...

involved themselves in the issue. A catalyst for concerted action was the passing, in New Zealand, of the Old-age Pensions Act, 1898, which provided means-tested benefits for aged people 'of good character'.

Francis Herbert Stead Francis Herbert Stead (1857 – 14 January 1928), commonly cited as F. H. Stead, was a British social reformer notable for the establishment of Browning Hall in London, 1895, and for his work on the National Committee of Organised Labou ...

, warden of

Browning Hall Browning Hall, properly The Robert Browning Settlement, was a social settlement established in Walworth, London, in 1895, one of a number of such 'settlements' arising out of the settlement movement and the university extension movement. It prov ...

and an active campaigner for social reform, invited

William Pember Reeves William Pember Reeves (10 February 1857 – 16 May 1932) was a New Zealand politician, cricketer, historian and poet who promoted social reform. Early life and career Reeves's parents were William Reeves, who was a journalist and politician ...

, the New Zealand Agent General in London to speak on a number of occasions at address Browning Hall, culminating in a conference on the subject held at the hall in December 1898 attended by friendly societies, trade unionists, and addressed by Charles Booth, amongst others. Regional meetings across the country were held in the months immediately following, and by May 1899 the National Committee of Organised Labour was formed to lead and coordinate a campaign.

Organisation

Stead was appointed honorary secretary, and in July 1900 Frederick Booth was appointed Organising Secretary. Stead and Rogers dedicated a decade of work, writing pamphlets and books, lobbying parliament and religious leaders, and travelling the length of the country to speak for the cause. The campaign won the backing of concerned groups including the Trades Union Congress, the Labour Party Conference, and the Co-operative Congress, as well as by Friendly Societies. The campaign was ended after the passing of the 1908 act, Stead going on to campaign for the provision of old-aged homes.

References

{{reflist, 30em 1899 establishments in the United Kingdom 1908 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Pensions in the United Kingdom Social history of the United Kingdom