Courier Union "Effectively Refusing Dialogue... 'Doorstep Delivery' Suspended at Apartments Controlling Courier Vehicles"

On the 8th of this month, the National Courier Workers' Union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Service Federation held a press conference in front of Apartment A in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Delivery workers have declared that they will "stop delivery to individual units" at Apartment Complex A in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, where delivery vehicles have been banned from accessing the ground-level roads.

The National Delivery Workers' Union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Service Federation held a press conference in front of Apartment Complex A on the 14th, stating, "For the health and safety of delivery workers, from today onward, we will only deliver goods up to the entrance of the apartment complex and hand them over to residents who come to pick them up."

The delivery union said, "We sent an official letter requesting dialogue to the Residents' Representative Meeting of Apartment Complex A on the 8th, but we have not received any official response by the 13th," adding, "We interpret this as a refusal to engage in dialogue and have therefore decided to suspend deliveries."

They continued, "The restriction on delivery vehicles forces workers to endure more difficult labor and increased costs, which is also problematic," emphasizing, "The Residents' Representative Meeting should take responsibility and come to the negotiating table even now."

The delivery union also argued, "Although the Residents' Representative Meeting claims to have given a one-year grace period before restricting delivery vehicle access, the key issue is with whom and how that grace period decision was made," stating, "The current conflict arose because the decision was made and communicated unilaterally without consulting delivery workers."

Regarding delivery companies, the union urged, "They should stop accepting deliveries for Apartment Complex A and take responsibility by preparing relevant countermeasures," adding, "The government must also immediately make efforts to mediate."

Apartment Complex A, which has about 5,000 households, has prohibited delivery vehicles from using the ground-level roads within the complex starting from the 1st of this month. Delivery workers are required to either deliver to each unit using handcarts or use low-floor vehicles that can access the underground parking lot with a height restriction of 2.3 meters. Delivery workers have opposed this, saying that delivery times have increased and that they must work in a bent posture, which increases physical strain.

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