Delivery Union and Self-Employed Gather... Downtown Currently Holding Demonstrations

Courier Union Plans Candlelight Vigil in Front of CJ Daehan Tongwoon... Full Strike Expansion Expected After the 21st
Police "Persuading Voluntary Eviction" Passive Response
Self-Employed Solidarity Afternoon Rally at Gwanghwamun

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' National Courier Workers' Union are staging a sit-in protest at the CJ Logistics headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 11th. The courier union, which has been on strike since December 28 of last year, launched a surprise sit-in on the 10th, urging the company to engage in dialogue to resolve the situation. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The city center is being engulfed by protests. The Courier Workers' Union, demanding solutions to the issue of overwork-related deaths among delivery workers, and self-employed business owners seeking compensation for losses, have decided to hold large-scale rallies in the city center.

Union members participating in the strike plan to hold a rally, campaign, and candlelight vigil in front of the CJ Logistics headquarters on the afternoon of the 15th. On the 21st, union members from Logen, Lotte, Korea Post, and Hanjin Delivery, who can participate in the rally, also plan to carry out a one-day warning strike.

This rally is an extension of the CJ Logistics headquarters occupation that the Courier Workers' Union has been conducting since the 10th. The union criticizes the company for turning the social agreement to resolve the overwork-related death issue of delivery workers into a profit-seeking move. The union's policy is to expand the strike to the entire union if the company refuses to engage in dialogue by the 21st.

CJ Logistics is also responding strongly, so dialogue is expected to be difficult. On the 10th, CJ Logistics filed complaints and charges against the Courier Workers' Union at the Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul for assault, property damage, and obstruction of business, and also reported violations of quarantine measures to the Infectious Disease Control Division of Jung-gu Office in Seoul.

Self-employed business owners hold large-scale rally at Gwanghwamun Square... Physical clashes inevitable

On the 14th, officials belonging to the Korea Federation of Trade Unions Self-Employed Workers' Union held a press conference in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, urging for retroactive application of loss compensation and opposing the application of the Labor Standards Act to workplaces with fewer than five employees. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The Korea Federation of Self-Employed Victims of COVID-19 (Koja-chong) will hold a large-scale rally at Gwanghwamun Square that afternoon. Although the number of participants in rallies has been limited to 299 since the spread of COVID-19, it is expected that far more people will gather. Oh Ho-seok, co-representative of Koja-chong, said, "Police interference with the rally is expected due to quarantine measures, but we have issued a general mobilization order," adding, "Self-employed business owners can no longer endure this situation."

The rally by self-employed business owners is due to losses caused by continued quarantine measures. They are demanding retroactive application of compensation for losses and 100% reimbursement, but the response from the government and political circles remains distant. Accordingly, Koja-chong has also adopted a 'brinkmanship' tactic. If conditions do not improve immediately after this rally, they plan to forcibly operate 24-hour business hours starting from the 21st.

The police response shows a difference in approach. Choi Kwan-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said at a press briefing the day before that regarding the Courier Workers' Union rally, "Basically, the issue should be resolved through dialogue between labor and management," and "The police are making efforts to persuade the occupiers to voluntarily leave the premises."

On the other hand, there are concerns that physical clashes may occur at the Koja-chong rally. Commissioner Choi said about the self-employed business owners' rally, "We will check compliance with quarantine rules and look for any violations," adding, "If illegal elements arise, legal action is inevitable."