Transition Team to Include 'Rider Industrial Accident Insurance Act Amendment' in National Tasks

Platform Delivery Workers' Issues Meeting Held on the 22nd
Introduction of "Safe Delivery Fee" to "First Hear Labor and Management Opinions"

Deputy Spokesperson Kim Jae-hyun of the Presidential Transition Committee is giving a briefing on 'Sports Innovation' at the Presidential Transition Committee briefing room in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 15th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The Presidential Transition Committee announced on the 22nd that it will incorporate revisions to related laws for the prevention of industrial accidents among delivery platform workers (riders) as a national agenda.

Kim Jae-hyun, deputy spokesperson of the Transition Committee, held a briefing on the new government's policy direction regarding platform delivery at the committee office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in the afternoon, stating, "Today, a meeting is being held at the National Assembly to address the urgent issues faced by platform delivery workers."

Attendees of the meeting included Im I-ja, social welfare and culture subcommittee secretary, Park Jung-hoon, chairman of the Rider Union, Seon Dong-young, head of the Platform Delivery Branch of the Korean Federation of Trade Unions' National Solidarity Union, Kim Byung-woo, CEO of Woowa Brothers, Kim Myung-kyu, CEO of Coupang Eats, Kim Yong-seok, head of compliance at Mesh Korea, Kwon Ki-seop, director of the Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Uh Myung-so, director of the Transportation and Logistics Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Professor Park Eun-jung of Inje University, and Min Yeon-joo, research fellow at the Korea Transport Institute, along with representatives from companies, government, and academia.

At the meeting, Secretary Im I-ja opened by saying, "Last year, 18 delivery workers died in accidents during deliveries, and as of February this year, already 9 have died. On the 30th of last month, a female delivery worker died in an accident during delivery, but unfortunately, she was not covered by industrial accident insurance and received no compensation."

Secretary Im added, "The Transition Committee is actively preparing measures such as abolishing the exclusivity of industrial accident insurance to make platform delivery jobs safe and ensure fair compensation in case of injury. Since platform jobs have relatively low employment stability, it is necessary to strengthen the social safety net accordingly and expand opportunities for vocational skill development."

In the delivery industry, where most contracts are platform-based, even if a worker dies in an accident, they are not covered by industrial accident insurance and thus do not receive proper compensation.

Deputy spokesperson Kim Jae-hyun of the social welfare and culture subcommittee stated, "We will promptly push for amendments to the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, carefully review measures to prevent industrial accidents among platform workers, expand opportunities for vocational skill development, and legislative tasks to guarantee the basic rights and interests of all labor providers including platform workers, and reflect these in the national agenda."

Meanwhile, regarding the introduction of a ‘Safe Delivery Fee’ demanded by delivery worker organizations such as the Rider Union, the Transition Committee expressed its intention to first listen to the opinions of labor and management. The ‘Safe Delivery Fee’ is a concept where the government sets and guarantees a delivery fee per order to prevent delivery workers from making excessive deliveries. In addition to the introduction of the ‘Safe Delivery Fee,’ the Rider Union and others are demanding the right to explanation of delivery algorithms and the registration system for delivery agencies.

Regarding this, Kim Doo-hee, a working-level member of the social welfare and culture subcommittee of the Transition Committee, drew a line by saying, "Since opinions between labor and management differ regarding the demands of delivery worker organizations, the Transition Committee plans to hear each position and is not yet in a position to give a definite answer."