Hence was born the eight-hour day. The practice caught on. For more than 100 years we have celebrated the eight-hour day as a victory for trade unionism. We know it as Labour Day which, on the fourth Monday of every October, is a public holiday.
We hear every year of the union movement's long, hard struggle. It wasn't easy winning the eight-hour day, we are repetitively told.
Without unions, greedy employers would have us working every hour, every day.
It's a myth. The so-called victory had nothing to do with unions. It was simple supply and demand. The demand for skilled labour was high in the new and growing settlement. The supply was low.
Parnell could have negotiated more pay. But he chose fewer hours. That was his choice. That was the free market.
Every Labour Day we should be remembering how the eight-hour day was "won": it was by two men negotiating, no third party involved. There were no unions. There was no labour legislation.
The good-faith bargain was sealed with a simple handshake. And the two men prospered. Parnell soon had enough to buy land in Karori and establish himself as a farmer. Hunter proved a successful merchant and was Wellington's first Mayor. Auckland's Parnell is named after Samuel.
Both men did well because they were free to negotiate what was best. They weren't locked into antiquated work practices.
It was the free market that delivered. Parnell was fortunate he could bargain on his own behalf. That's what delivered the eight-hour day.
I won't be celebrating unions tomorrow. Quite the opposite. I will be working and celebrating the freedom that enables us to prosper and build a great country.
I will also be laughing. The union movement is so bereft of success that it has had to commandeer Parnell's win through the free market. Such is the myth-making of the left. Even history isn't safe.
