New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to claim the eight-hour day, following Wellington carpenter Samuel Parnell’s successful stand in 1840. The first Labour Day in New Zealand , on 28 October 1890 , celebrated the struggle for an eight-hour working day. Many trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main centres, and Government employees were given the day off to attend.
By 1890 public concern about working conditions had increased to a point where the Government appointed a nine-person royal commission to inquire into industrial conditions. Known as the Sweating Commission, it did not find working conditions to be as bad in New Zealand as they were in the United Kingdom , but still uncovered many significant instances of exploitation.
The commission’s findings eventually led to New Zealand ’s first industrial health and safety legislation, the Factories Act 1891. The Act imposed requirements on employers regarding sanitation, toilets, dining and rooms, hours of work, holidays and so on. Another Factories Act replaced it in 1894, and provided for far greater regulation of the working environment with respect to illness and workplace accidents, as well as hours of work.
The 1894 Act also increased the minimum working age from 10 to 14. The new law, and similar legislation providing the same safeguards for workers in shops and offices, eventually saw the end of the sorts of working conditions that had been reported by the commission.
Meanwhile, the trade union movement was growing in numbers, strength and confidence. The unions had enthusiasm, but they lacked experience, and when the Maritime Union struck in 1890, employers used farmers and farm labourers to break the strike. The union was soundly defeated. This industrial unrest provided a backdrop to the general election of 1890. In this context – industrial unrest, poor working conditions, and a harsh economic climate – the Liberals were elected into office.
The Liberal Government of the 1890s undertook the most significant political reforms in nineteenth century New Zealand. Their impact on labour relations was profound.
