Social Agreement on Courier Worker Measures... 170 Won Increase Per Package

Classification Exclusion Measures Completed Within the Year... Ensuring Weekly Hours Do Not Exceed 60

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] A social agreement has been reached to exclude delivery workers from sorting tasks within this year and to limit their working hours to 60 hours per week. The cost increase factor for protecting delivery workers was set at 170 KRW per package.

The Democratic Party of Korea announced the second agreement on measures to prevent overwork of delivery workers at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Participants included delivery service providers, sales offices, the Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee, shipper organizations, consumer groups, government agencies (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Fair Trade Commission, Korea Post), and the Democratic Party’s Livelihood Council.

The Democratic Party evaluated, "This marks the final social agreement following the first agreement announced on January 21 of this year." They held over ten meetings, and on the 18th, Korea Post and the Delivery Workers’ Union reached a social agreement on the post office delivery issue, bringing the process to a close.

The most contentious issue, excluding delivery workers from sorting tasks, will be completed within this year. The cost increase necessary for improving sorting tasks and enrolling in employment insurance and industrial accident insurance was confirmed to be 170 KRW per package through analysis by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.

The social agreement participants agreed to actively cooperate to reflect the cost increase factor in delivery fees. Delivery service providers and sales offices will prioritize using the increased delivery fees for improving sorting tasks, enrolling in employment and industrial accident insurance, and enhancing delivery workers’ treatment, ensuring that the burden is not passed on to the delivery workers. However, initially, they agreed to resolve this through delivery providers’ own cost reduction efforts and improving unfair trade practices between delivery companies and shippers.

Additionally, reflecting the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s review, it was agreed to limit delivery workers’ working hours to 12 hours per day and 60 hours per week. A pilot project for a five-day workweek will be conducted, and based on its results, discussions will be held in the first half of next year.

From September 1, before this year’s Chuseok holiday, Hanjin and Lotte Global Logistics will add 1,000 workers beyond the existing sorting personnel according to the first agreement. CJ Logistics will invest either an equivalent number of additional sorting personnel or costs corresponding to 1,000 workers.

Woo Won-sik, a Democratic Party lawmaker who led the agreement process, stated, "This is a precious result achieved through all participants broadening their understanding and making gradual concessions since the end of last year, presenting a new milestone for social agreement." He added, "We will continuously monitor and support the smooth implementation of the agreement with the government."