New Zealand's first Labour Day was celebrated in 1890 with processions by trade unionists, who were battling to have the eight-hour working day extended to all industries. This sketch shows the Labour Day parade in Dunedin that year. Workers marched behind their union banners to the Octagon, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers. The government resisted enforcing an eight-hour day, but did make Labour Day a public holiday in 1899.
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Alexander Turnbull Library
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Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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