Courier Union "Delayed Start from the 7th"... Courier Companies Oppose 'Overwork Death Measures' Non-Compliance

Jin Kyungho, Chairman of the National Courier Workers' Union, is holding a sign reading "Excess Profit from CJ Logistics Courier Fee Increase" at the "Simultaneous Nationwide Press Conference of Courier Union Ahead of the Final Agreement of the Social Agreement Organization to Prevent Overwork Deaths of Courier Workers," held on the morning of the 4th at the Neutinamu Hall of People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The National Courier Workers' Union announced that starting from the 7th, they will delay the start of work and delivery departure times by two hours compared to the current schedule, citing that courier companies have not implemented the social agreement, including the deployment of sorting personnel.

At a press conference held at the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the union stated, "Through the second social agreement, measures to prevent overwork deaths, including sorting tasks, should be fully established and implemented. However, due to the obstinacy of courier companies, the final agreement remains uncertain," adding, "Courier companies are making absurd claims such as requesting another one-year grace period for implementing overwork death prevention measures without making any effort."

The union plans to implement a "9 AM start, 11 AM delivery departure" schedule from Monday the 7th, involving all 6,500 union members. Kim Tae-wan, the union's senior vice chairman, explained, "Starting work at 9 AM and departing for delivery at 11 AM means delaying the start time by about two hours to reduce working hours, and delivering only items sorted individually," adding, "This is intended to put into practice the social agreement to prevent overwork deaths."

The union revealed that according to a survey conducted on 1,186 courier workers nationwide on the 2nd and 3rd of this month, 84.7% (1,005 people) are still performing sorting tasks. It was also found that in 30.2% (304 people) of cases, no additional personnel were deployed for sorting, so the courier workers are solely responsible for sorting.

Furthermore, the union stated, "According to the first social agreement, CJ Logistics raised courier fees by 250 won in April, resulting in an increase of about 150 won in May fees compared to January and February, but workers' commissions only increased by 8 won," adding, "Most of the benefits from the fee increase are going to the courier companies as excess profits."

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