Legal abstentionism is a term used in labour law

Labour law

Labour law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees...

 and industrial relations to refer to the policy of a government to not regulate labour markets through statutory means, by relying heavily on minimum standards. This is said to be characteristic of the British industrial relations policy of the early and middle twentieth century. It often complements the concept of "collective laissez faire", involving regulation of work through trade unions and collective agreement.