"Restrict Deliveries from Midnight to 5 a.m."
Union: "Let's Reduce Overwork"
Industry: "Delivery Delays and Job Losses Are Inevitable"
As the parcel delivery workers' union calls for restrictions on late-night (midnight to 5 a.m.) deliveries to protect workers' health rights, the e-commerce industry, which has been engaged in a "delivery speed race," is pushing back. Concerns are also being raised that suspending early morning deliveries could disrupt consumers' daily routines.
According to the retail industry on October 29, the National Parcel Delivery Workers' Union, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, proposed at the "Parcel Delivery Social Dialogue Body" meeting held on October 22 that "to reduce overwork among delivery drivers, ultra late-night deliveries should be restricted, and minimum sleep time and health rights should be guaranteed."
The Parcel Delivery Social Dialogue Body, launched last month, includes members of the Democratic Party, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, parcel delivery companies, labor unions, and civic groups. The initiative was established in response to growing worker health issues, such as deaths from overwork, even as consumer satisfaction has increased with the spread of early morning and same-day deliveries.
After some of the meeting details were reported by the media, the union issued a press release stating, "Continuous fixed late-night work, as seen at companies like Coupang, disrupts biological rhythms and causes serious health problems such as sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer." The union also clarified, "We are not calling for a complete ban on early morning deliveries, but are demanding minimal regulations to prevent overwork and health issues among workers due to late-night deliveries and to establish a sustainable delivery system."
The union also presented specific alternatives. They explained, "Daytime and nighttime delivery shifts could be changed to a 5 a.m. shift and a 3 p.m. shift, so that there is no reduction in jobs or volume, and the 5 a.m. shift can handle urgent early morning deliveries."
However, the industry argues that these proposals are not feasible in practice. An e-commerce industry representative countered, "Early morning delivery items are transported overnight from production sites to nationwide logistics centers, sorted, and delivered to consumers before 7 a.m. It is impossible to operate with only a 5 a.m. shift."
The representative added, "There are many products, such as baby formula and school supplies, that are needed immediately in the morning. Restricting late-night deliveries would not only inconvenience consumers but also eliminate tens of thousands of jobs at logistics centers." They also pointed out that some drivers prefer late-night shifts because "the pay is higher and there is less traffic congestion."
The e-commerce industry is concerned that restricting late-night deliveries could directly undermine market competitiveness, especially as competition in "early morning delivery" and "quick commerce" (instant delivery) intensifies. Coupang has invested 6.2 trillion won over the past ten years to build its Rocket Delivery logistics infrastructure and is currently investing an additional 3 trillion won.
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