"Here is a chicken order" What Do You Think About Delivery During 'Cold Wave and Heavy Snow'?

Rider Union "Delivery in Heavy Snow Is Murder"
3 out of 10 Delivery Workers "Delivered Even in Heavy Rain or Snow"
"Let's Refrain from Ordering" Some Deliveries Canceled for Delivery Workers' Safety

On the 6th, when heavy snow fell, a member of the 'Rider Union' was delivering food while being exposed to the snow. Photo by Rider Union

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As heavy snow and cold waves have swept across the country, freezing roads have caused numerous accidents, raising growing concerns about the safety of delivery and courier workers. It has been pointed out that delivery workers continue their duties in severe weather conditions such as heavy snow, leaving them defenseless against the risk of casualties.

Some voices are calling for refraining from deliveries during natural disasters like heavy snow, strong winds, and cold waves. The Delivery Workers' Union has urged that standards be established to allow suspension of operations during severe weather to ensure the safety of delivery workers.

Recently, due to sudden heavy snow and cold waves, severe cold continued, and snow that fell on the night of the 6th froze on roads nationwide. This led to numerous accidents of varying severity across the country. In particular, in the Gyeonggi region, a total of 10 people sustained minor injuries from traffic accidents on snowy roads and pedestrian slips, while in Incheon, 10 incidents occurred involving pedestrians slipping on icy roads or vehicle collisions.

Food and parcel delivery workers are also facing significant disruptions to their work due to the risk of accidents on icy roads. A netizen who identified themselves as a delivery worker said, "The roads were slippery, so it took much longer to make deliveries. A distance that usually takes 30 minutes took about an hour and a half because I had to be very careful on the slippery roads," adding, "Even when riding the motorcycle slowly, I was anxious the whole time, not knowing when I might slip."

Given the situation, on the evening of the 6th when heavy snow fell, the delivery workers' union 'Rider Union' issued an urgent statement calling for a halt to deliveries. They appealed, "Delivery workers are falling all over the place right now," and "Riders who climbed steep hills are trapped. Forcing them to work now is tantamount to murder."

According to a survey, a significant number of delivery workers choose to work despite severe weather. In a 2018 survey conducted by the 'Rider Union' targeting 55 riders, 30.9% (17 riders) responded that they had made deliveries even during heavy rain or snow.

Photo by Online Community Screenshot.

In response, citizens have also voiced the need to refrain from ordering to protect delivery workers' safety. Recently, numerous posts about "canceling deliveries" have appeared on various social networking services (SNS) and online communities. One netizen posted on an online community the day before, saying, "Does anyone know how to cancel or change early morning deliveries? I'm worried about the delivery drivers because of the heavy snow. I feel anxious and uneasy. I want to cancel or change my delivery."

Some have even expressed opinions that food orders should be avoided. One netizen wrote on a community, "I think we should refrain from ordering delivery food until the weekend. I don't know if it will hurt restaurants, but I'm worried about the icy roads."

In response to these posts, netizens commented, "I felt sorry for the drivers who were slowly delivering on motorcycles despite the heavy snow. This week, I think I'll consider picking up food myself rather than ordering delivery," and "I also canceled my early morning delivery."

On the other hand, some argued that ordering is the delivery workers' choice and that consumers should not be responsible for worrying about their safety. One netizen said, "If the driver doesn't want to accept orders, they don't have to, but it's not appropriate for consumers to worry about the delivery workers' safety," adding, "It's wrong to label customers who order during heavy snow as bad people."

On the 6th, when heavy snow fell, a delivery motorcycle was covered in snow. Photo by Rider Union

Immediately after the heavy snow, most delivery platforms raised delivery fees and left the decision to individual drivers. For example, Coupang Eats offered delivery workers a per-delivery fee of 15,000 KRW in some areas such as Gangnam-gu, Yongsan-gu, Geumcheon-gu, Gwanak-gu, and Dongjak-gu in Seoul on the 6th when heavy snow fell. Considering that the usual per-delivery fee in these areas ranged from 3,100 to 4,200 KRW, this was an increase of up to five times.

Additionally, there are disadvantages for refusing deliveries, making it difficult for delivery workers to decline work easily. Refusing deliveries lowers their ratings, which results in longer wait times for assignments. In particular, delivery requests may not be sent at all to workers whose ratings fall below a certain level.

Considering these circumstances, it appears that delivery workers have no choice but to continue working in dangerous road conditions to sustain their livelihoods.

Therefore, the Delivery Workers' Union has urged the government to establish guidelines to ensure delivery workers' safety in response to winter weather issues such as heavy snow.

Park Jeonghun, chairman of the Rider Union, emphasized at an online press conference on the 7th, "If orders are not blocked altogether, someone will inevitably continue to perform dangerous delivery work. Therefore, the government should establish policies that allow order mediation companies to suspend services under certain criteria."

Chairman Park also explained, "Many people say, 'Delivery workers who are freelancers work during heavy snow to earn more money,' but veteran drivers who know that accidents cause greater losses even if fees increase just stay home when it snows heavily," adding, "Rather, beginners see the high promotions and continue delivering until accidents happen."

He continued, "Those who are economically struggling have to work despite knowing the risks because they need to earn money immediately, and when accidents occur, hospital bills increase, making their economic situation even worse, creating a vicious cycle."

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