On the afternoon of August 31, access was restricted at Coupang Seocho 1 Delivery Camp in Seocho-gu, Seoul, after one employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Coupang has clarified that the claims made by the Delivery Workers’ Overwork Death Countermeasure Committee (Countermeasure Committee), which raised suspicions of overwork death of a logistics center employee, are not true. In response, netizens have expressed sorrow over the death of a young person in their 20s.
On the 16th, Coupang rebutted through its newsroom that the Countermeasure Committee distorted the facts by claiming that the death of a logistics center employee who was in charge of support tasks was due to “overwork death caused by excessive sorting work.”
Coupang stated, “We deeply regret the death of the deceased,” and added, “The deceased was responsible for support tasks such as supplying plastic and empty cardboard boxes, which are unrelated to sorting work.” This means that the deceased employee was assigned tasks unrelated to the physically demanding sorting work at the logistics center, and the claim of “excessive work” is not true.
Furthermore, Coupang argued that the Countermeasure Committee’s claims that “the employee requested a change of workplace due to increased workload from COVID-19” and “the volume increased after COVID-19, but manpower was insufficient, leading to overwork” are also untrue.
Coupang explained that due to the nature of the logistics center’s three-shift system, 8-hour work shifts and 1-hour breaks are strictly observed, making long additional work difficult. In fact, the deceased’s average working hours over the past three months were only 44 hours per week.
Additionally, Coupang revealed, “We have employed more than 12,000 employees based on the National Pension subscription standard this year,” and stated, “Since July, we have offered the deceased a permanent position every month, but the employee declined. Both Coupang and colleagues deeply regret this.”
Meanwhile, the “Coupang COVID-19 Victims Support Countermeasure Committee” raised questions on the morning of the 12th regarding the death of a man in his 20s, A, who was working on parcel sorting at Coupang’s logistics center in Chilgok, Gyeongbuk.
A was found dead in his home bathroom after finishing night work and returning home. The autopsy concluded the cause of death as “sudden endogenous death of unknown cause.”
The Countermeasure Committee claimed that A had no underlying illnesses and did not drink or smoke, stating, “Although he was a daily worker, he worked 8 hours a day, 5 days a week like others, and on days with heavy volume, he sometimes worked an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes,” arguing that this was a case of overwork death.
Netizens responded with sorrowful comments such as “The Coupang system needs to be changed,” “Labor intensity should be investigated rather than working hours,” and “Realistic measures for delivery workers in the industry are urgently needed.”
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