Emphasizing the Need for Medical Research and Market Surveys
Kim Byungki, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized on September 26 the need for medical research and market surveys to protect the health rights of delivery workers, stating, "As late-night deliveries become commonplace, the working conditions of delivery workers are becoming increasingly harsh."
At the launch ceremony for the "Social Dialogue Body on Parcel Delivery" held at the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Kim said, "It is time for new delivery standards tailored to the changing parcel delivery market." He stressed that, just as consumer convenience and corporate competitiveness are important, the health rights of delivery workers must also be guaranteed.
He added, "The Democratic Party will spare no effort to protect the health rights of delivery workers and establish a fair market order," emphasizing, "We hope to see a society where the lives of delivery workers are no longer at risk."
This is the third time that the Democratic Party has established a social dialogue body related to parcel delivery. In the two previous social dialogue bodies held in 2021, agreements were reached to prevent delivery workers from dying due to overwork.
The third social dialogue body, launched on this day, included representatives from the Democratic Party, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the parcel delivery industry, labor unions, and civic groups.
Min Byungdeok, chairman of the Democratic Party's Committee for the Protection of the Underprivileged (Euljiro Committee), said, "In July, during an unprecedented heat wave, a tragedy occurred in which three delivery workers died within five days," and explained, "The third social dialogue body on parcel delivery, launched today, will seek practical measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring and to ensure that a fourth or fifth dialogue body will not be necessary."
He also stressed, "We have launched this social dialogue body out of a sense of urgency and desperation that there should no longer be a world where people have to risk their lives to go to work or cannot return home from work," and added, "We will work closely with the party, the government, and relevant organizations to establish measures that fit the changing parcel delivery market."
Park Seokwoon, chairman of the Committee for Countermeasures Against Delivery Worker Deaths from Overwork, said, "Over the past four years, the deadly competition for faster delivery, triggered by Coupang's entry into the parcel delivery industry, has led to more than 20 deaths of parcel logistics workers at Coupang alone over the past three to four years." He stressed the need for public regulation of late-night labor and institutional improvements regarding holiday and multiple-round deliveries.
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