On the afternoon of the 19th, participants are observing a moment of silence at the 'Press Conference by Delivery Consumers Condemning Large Corporate Delivery Companies and Urging Prevention of Overwork Deaths of Delivery Workers' held in front of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] A CJ Logistics delivery worker collapsed and died in a break room while on duty. Delivery workers have been dying one after another in the courier industry, where workloads have surged since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Delivery Workers Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee announced on the 22nd, "Delivery worker A at CJ Logistics collapsed suddenly while resting in a makeshift break room in the parking lot after completing dispatch at the Gyeonggi-do Gonjiam Hub Terminal around 11:50 p.m. on the 20th. He was transported to the hospital but died around 1 a.m. on the 21st." This year, 13 delivery workers are estimated to have lost their lives due to overwork.
A was responsible for transporting delivery items with a large truck between the CJ Paju Hub Terminal and the Gonjiam Hub Terminal. According to the committee and the bereaved family, Mr. Kang suffered from long working hours just before his death. He started work around 2 p.m. on the 18th and worked until noon on the 19th before leaving work. After only five hours, he returned to work at 5 p.m. on the 19th and continued working until he collapsed on the night of the 20th.
The committee stated, "The deceased mainly worked at night and had been working for several days under time pressure without proper rest," adding, "Due to the sharp increase in delivery volume caused by COVID-19, working hours increased by more than 50% compared to usual."
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