Delivery Workers' Union Intensifies Struggle... 6,500 Members Announce Protest March to Seoul

On the morning of the 10th, the second day of the indefinite general strike by the delivery workers' union, delivery workers are sorting packages at a delivery center in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The National Courier Workers' Union, which has gone on strike, appears to be escalating its level of struggle.

According to the Courier Workers' Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee (Countermeasures Committee) on the 13th, the Courier Workers' Union strongly condemns the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's stance that it cannot accept the fee compensation plan for the reduced volume.

The Courier Workers' Union is expected to strictly control illegal substitute deliveries, excluding substitute delivery personnel permitted under the Labor Union Act, starting this week. In branches without the right to strike, in addition to starting work at 9 a.m. and beginning deliveries at 11 a.m., they have decided not to deliver any items that violate standards, breach contract fees, or exceed weight and volume limits, which are not delivery obligations. Furthermore, all 6,500 union members of the Courier Workers' Union plan to engage in a strong struggle, including a rally in Seoul.

At a press conference on the 10th, the Countermeasures Committee stated, "We absolutely cannot agree to the social agreement content that forcibly reduces volume and zones without any countermeasures for shortening working hours, especially when the implementation timing of the agreement has not even been decided." They added, "Over the past 30 years, the fee per courier delivery has continuously declined, forcing workers to deliver more volume to compensate for wages, which has led to the current overwork deaths." They emphasized, "This is not a demand for fee increases but a demand to compensate for the volume reduction due to shortened working hours."

The Countermeasures Committee claims that when the agreement body was launched, volume reduction was proposed as a measure to shorten working hours, and the agenda included compensating for the resulting wage decrease through fee increases. However, they assert that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is pushing a draft agreement excluding fee compensation measures.

According to the Countermeasures Committee, to generate an average monthly sales of 5.02 million KRW, courier workers must deliver more than 260 items per day and over 6,600 items per month, with an average fee of 750 KRW per item. Assuming the government’s proposed weekly working hours limit of 60 hours and delivery of 30 to 40 items per hour based on private courier companies, courier workers who only deliver would experience about a 10% wage reduction, the Countermeasures Committee explained.