"87% of Workers Pay for Treatment Themselves" Labor and Environment Committee Audit Highlights Need to Improve Poor Working Conditions

Kang Soon-hee, President of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, and others are taking an oath at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee's audit of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency on the 20th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] On the 20th, during the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee’s audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor-affiliated agencies, there were calls for measures to address the poor working conditions of special employment workers, including delivery couriers.

On this day, Jang Cheol-min, a member of the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, announced the results of the "Delivery Logistics Center Labor Conditions Survey" conducted from September 24 to October 3 on 104 short-term daily workers (temporary part-timers) working at delivery logistics centers.

According to the results, 57.7% responded "yes" to the question "Have you ever been injured while working?" Among 40 workers who received hospital treatment for work-related injuries, 35 (87.5%) paid the medical expenses out of their own pocket. Four workers (10%) said their employer covered the hospital bills, and only one person responded that they received hospital treatment through industrial accident insurance.

In particular, when asked, "Are you aware that even if you are not separately enrolled in industrial accident insurance when injured while working at a logistics center, you can still receive compensation through industrial accident insurance?" 87 people (83.7%) answered "No."

In response, Representative Jang pointed out, "There are many areas for improvement in the industrial accident insurance system, but fundamentally, existing systems need to be properly communicated," adding, "Just as people know to call 119 in case of fire, there needs to be a national awareness that 'if injured while working, industrial accident insurance applies.'" He emphasized, "The delivery sector is currently the most vulnerable in the labor market and has the highest risk of industrial accidents. With young people entering the workforce amid job shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, clear measures must be established."

Democratic Party member Roh Woong-rae also stated, "The practice of special employment workers applying for exclusion from industrial accident insurance coverage has become entrenched," and stressed, "If this is the current reality, a full investigation into special employment workers’ applications for exclusion from industrial accident insurance coverage is necessary." He further noted, "The exclusion application forms are often submitted under employer coercion rather than the worker’s own will, and are referred to as 'industrial accident waiver agreements.'"

Additionally, Representative Roh urged that measures be prepared to address the reality that even when special employment workers are enrolled in industrial accident insurance, their approval rates for industrial accident claims after accidents or illnesses are lower than those of regular employees.

In response, Kang Soon-hee, President of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, said, "I believe there are considerable parts that need to be revised and supplemented to suit special employment workers, including the criteria for recognition (of industrial accidents)."

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