"Not a Delivery Strike but Refusal of Sorting Work... Originally Not the Delivery Drivers' Duty"

Jingyeongho Delivery Worker Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee Executive Chairman Appeals "Must Get Through Chuseok Crisis"

On the afternoon of the 17th, when the Delivery Workers Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee announced its intention to refuse parcel sorting work starting on the 21st, officials were sorting items at a parcel logistics center in Seoul./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seul-gi] Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, nationwide delivery workers have announced a strike starting from the 21st. On the 18th, Jin Kyungho, Executive Committee Member of the Delivery Workers' Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee, stated, "Sorting work was originally not the responsibility of delivery workers, so it is not a strike but a refusal to perform sorting work."

In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the same day, Jin said, "(Sorting work) involves standing in front of the items in my delivery area and picking out my own from among hundreds of workers' packages."

He added, "If sorting starts at 7 a.m., it ends around 1 to 2 p.m., which delays the delivery departure time. If the assigned volume is not completed that day, workers face disadvantages, leading to a routine of finishing deliveries by dawn and waking up at 5 a.m. to prepare for work again."

He continued, "The situation is very serious. There is no legal provision stating that delivery workers must perform sorting work. Since delivery was introduced 28 years ago, this has been done out of custom because it was simply ordered. We are demanding that the law clearly define whose responsibility this work is."

He expressed concern, saying, "With the overlap of COVID-19 and Chuseok delivery volumes, fear is high. We are asking for temporary manpower deployment during this period to overcome the crisis. In a survey, over 80% of respondents said they fear 'I could also die from overwork.' In reality, if the current situation coincides with Chuseok volumes, it would not be surprising if a colleague working next to me collapses."

Earlier, on the 10th, the Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee announced the results of a survey on the overwork death conditions of delivery workers, conducted with 821 delivery workers. According to the survey, 98% of respondents said they had heard about delivery workers dying from overwork. Additionally, 80.4% responded that they are very afraid because it could happen to them as well.

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