In 1872, over seventeen thousand workers were prosecuted in Britain for leaving their jobs, a direct result of the Master and Servants Acts. Under these laws, wage laborers who quit before their agreed terms or failed to show up could face up to three months of hard labor. In contrast, employers who breached the same laws—such as withholding wages or terminating employees without notice—faced only civil consequences.
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During the 1860s and early 1870s, as the labor market tightened toward full employment, the number of prosecutions increased. Even prior to the organized labor movement's push for the eight-hour workday, British trade unions campaigned extensively to abolish the criminal penalties for workers who resigned. Their efforts culminated in 1875 when they succeeded in gaining the right for workers to leave their jobs freely, although economic pressures continued to exert a coercive influence.