labour day

Events In History

28 October 1890

First Labour Day celebrations

The first Labour Day celebrated the struggle for an eight-hour working day. Parades in the main centres were attended by several thousand trade union members and supporters. Read more...

Celebrated on the fourth Monday in October, Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day, a right that carpenter Samuel Parnell had famously fought for in 1840. Our first Labour Day was held on 28 October 1890, and it has been a statutory public holiday since 1900.
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Page 2 – Further information
This web feature was written by Neill Atkinson and produced by the NZHistory.net.nz team.LinksRelated feature: 'Black Tuesday': the 1912 Waihi strikeSamuel Parnell

Parnell, Samuel Duncan
Labour Day, a public holiday in New Zealand since 1900, is a suitable occasion to pay tribute to Samuel Parnell, who achieved fame as the founder of the eight-hour working day in New Zealand.
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