Delivery Workers' Union Strikes Again... "De Facto Agreement Breakdown"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) National Courier Workers' Union (Courier Union) is set to launch another partial strike. This is due to the fact that the labor-management agreement reached after the strike in March has effectively been broken.

On the morning of the 23rd, the Courier Union held a press conference in front of the CJ Logistics headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, announcing that they will conduct strikes every Monday starting from that day. Approximately 800 out of 2,000 CJ Logistics union members with bargaining rights are expected to participate in the strike.

The reason for the partial strike is that the labor-management agreement is not being honored in practice. The union stated, "The agreement is on the verge of being nullified," adding, "To resolve this situation, we have been conducting additional negotiations with the CJ Logistics Agency Association and requested CJ Logistics to supervise management, but the effects have been minimal."

On March 2, the Courier Union ended its occupation of the CJ Logistics headquarters and began negotiations with management on an annex to the standard contract. However, the union claims that the annex contains provisions that deviate from social agreements, such as same-day delivery and six-day workweeks. According to the Courier Union, about 130 union members face the risk of contract termination, and around 240 members have been unable to draft the standard contract due to refusals by branch managers.

The union also pointed out that police intervention has exacerbated the problem. Recently, police made emergency arrests on-site of union members working at the Ulsan Shinbeomseo Agency and Hakseong Agency terminals on charges of obstruction of business and refusal to leave. The Courier Union stated, "In a situation where the agreement is becoming worthless, the police have unilaterally deployed public authority and even detained union members," adding, "Some union members were unable to enter the sites and wandered the streets, leading the Courier Union to reluctantly choose to strike."

The Courier Union has set conditions for withdrawing the strike, including the withdrawal of contract terminations, drafting of the standard contract, and an apology for the police's use of public authority.