Labour Day
Written by: Carrie Wooller
Labour Day recognises the contributions of workers and commemorates their historical struggle for improved working conditions, particularly the establishment of the standardised eight-hour workday. This right was first achieved in 1840, but it wasn’t until 1900 that it became a public holiday. New Zealand workers were among the pioneers at a global scale in advocating for this reform. One of Haigh Lyon’s founding partners, Frank Haigh, along with his son who worked at the firm, John Haigh KC, were prominent legal advocates for unions and workers.
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