Government Expands Industrial Accident Insurance for Delivery Workers... Increases Direct Employment of Care Workers

Launch of 'Essential Workers Government-wide TF' on the 6th... Announcement of Labor Environment Improvement Measures
Revision of Exclusive Application Criteria for Industrial Accident Compensation for Special Employment Types, Restriction on Exemption Application Reasons
Establishment of Social Service Centers in 17 Cities and Provinces... Improvement of Care Service Workers' Treatment

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government will prepare a plan to revise the exclusivity criteria by the first half of next year to expand the application of industrial accident insurance to delivery and courier workers. In 2022, social service centers will be established in all provinces and cities to increase the number of care service workers and promote direct employment.

On the 6th, the government held the first meeting of the government-wide task force (TF) for essential workers, chaired by Kim Yong-beom, First Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance, and Lim Seo-jung, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, and announced measures to strengthen the safety and protection of essential workers. Essential workers refer to face-to-face workers who provide core services to maintain the life, safety, and social functions of the public. This includes healthcare and care workers, delivery workers, sanitation workers, and courier workers.

Vice Minister Lim stated, "Essential workers support our non-face-to-face daily lives amid COVID-19, but the reality is that they face poor working conditions such as low wages and unstable employment." The meeting focused on essential worker measures prepared mainly by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and additional support plans will be developed through discussions among related ministries in the future.

First, by the first half of next year, the government will prepare a plan to revise the exclusivity criteria to expand industrial accident insurance coverage for special-type workers (special employment types, or "teukgo") and platform workers such as delivery workers. Under the current Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, only special-type workers who provide labor "mainly to one business" are eligible for industrial accident insurance, but considering legal issues and the characteristics of each field and occupation, this will be revised. Accordingly, delivery workers contracted with multiple delivery platforms such as Coupang Eats will also be able to receive industrial accident insurance benefits.

Im Seo-jeong, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor Photo by Yonhap News

The reasons for applying for exclusion from coverage, which were pointed out as causes of the low industrial accident insurance subscription rate, will also be limited. Applications for exclusion from industrial accident insurance will only be allowed in cases of the worker’s illness, childcare, or business owner's fault-related leave.

The treatment of care service workers, who have suffered from low wages and long working hours, is also expected to improve. Next year, 38.4 billion KRW will be invested to expand the workforce by 3,051 people in social welfare facilities with 5 to 49 workers. For government-subsidized social welfare facilities, the unit cost will be set higher than the common treatment improvement rate (0.9%) to increase labor costs. Along with this, social service centers will be established in all 17 provinces and cities by 2022 to expand public sector care workers and increase regular employment.

Additionally, to improve working conditions for sanitation workers, 70% of the purchase costs for items placed in rest facilities will be supported, and by December this year, a manual containing health protection measures for customer-facing workers such as elderly caregivers will be produced. The employment support subsidy criteria for workers aged 60 and over in industries such as sanitation, disinfection, and transportation (300,000 KRW per person per quarter) will be lowered to increase the elderly workforce.

In the healthcare sector, in preparation for the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, 557 personnel will be added to 14 public hospitals. The guidelines will also be revised to specify that unreasonable demands from COVID-19 inpatients constitute "interference with legitimate medical treatment."

To address the overwork problem of courier workers, a survey will be conducted by December, and measures to prevent overwork and protect health will be prepared by February next year. Furthermore, to prevent traffic accidents involving delivery workers, an "information-sharing platform" that guides high-risk accident areas will be developed and distributed next month in connection with delivery apps.

Vice Minister Lim emphasized, "In a situation where it is uncertain how long the COVID-19 crisis will continue, if the protection and treatment improvement of essential workers are not timely, social unrest may intensify. It is urgent to improve the working environment of essential workers who play an important role in protecting the safety and health of the public and supporting the non-face-to-face society."

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