The Postal Service Headquarters Civil Servants' Union Demands Safety Guarantees for Post Office Employees... Will the Mask Day System Improve?

On the 8th, ahead of the implementation of the 5-day mask purchase system, many citizens are lining up at a pharmacy in Jongno, Seoul, to buy public masks. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-gi] The Korea Post Officials' Union (hereinafter referred to as the Post Office Officials' Union) has demanded that the government ensure a safe working environment for post office employees who are selling masks through the public distribution system. Attention is focused on whether the treatment of employees will improve following the mask purchase day system, which will be implemented starting on the 9th.

The government has been operating a health mask sales counter within post offices since the 27th of last month as a measure to respond to the novel coronavirus disease (hereinafter COVID-19) outbreak. The problem is that no measures have been put in place to support manpower, facilities, or safety protection equipment for post office employees responsible for public mask sales. Because of this, the Post Office Officials' Union issued a statement on the 6th demanding the guarantee of safety for post office officials.

The Post Office Officials' Union pointed out, "There is little interest from the government and the public regarding minimum support measures (such as masks and protective gloves) for workers responsible for mask sales at post offices," adding, "If safety equipment support for the officials in charge is insufficient and they fall into a blind spot in infection control, the damage will inevitably spread beyond the post office directly to the public."

Frontline employees are expressing significant stress due to the persistent demands from citizens visiting post offices to purchase masks. Most citizens arrive earlier than the post office employees' regular start time of 8 a.m. The daily sales quantity is limited and usually insufficient compared to the number of people already waiting. A representative of the Post Office Officials' Union said, "Because situations where employees face complaints and backlash from citizens repeat daily, most post office employees are under extreme stress."

Interest is focused on whether this situation will improve with the implementation of the mask purchase 5-day rotation system based on birth year. According to the mask supply stabilization measures confirmed at the Cabinet meeting on the 5th, the government plans to establish a mask duplicate purchase verification system at pharmacies, post offices, and NongHyup. This system will require mask sellers to verify buyers' identification and check purchase history, allowing only two masks per person per week (Monday to Sunday).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.