Will the Delivery Workers' Union Rally Continue Until the Presidential Election?

No Way to Prevent Under Election Law
Controversy Over Reverse Discrimination in Quarantine Measures

On the 50th day of the strike by the CJ Logistics Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Delivery Workers' Union, Jin Kyung-ho, the union chairman, is speaking in front of the CJ Logistics headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 15th. Behind him is the campaign vehicle of Kim Jae-yeon, the presidential candidate of the Progressive Party. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The CJ Logistics headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) National Courier Workers' Union (Courier Union) has been holding an occupation protest at the headquarters for over a week, drawing attention to a rally using an election campaign vehicle. Unlike the limit of 299 people due to quarantine rules, using a campaign vehicle allows for an unlimited number of participants. While citizens are having their rights restricted for quarantine purposes, the Courier Union is being criticized for this 'loophole rally,' and the union has announced a large-scale struggle on the 21st, joined by union members from other courier companies, deepening the conflict.

According to the courier industry on the 19th, on the 15th, a campaign kickoff event for Kim Jae-yeon, the Progressive Party's presidential candidate, was held in front of the CJ Logistics headquarters, where the Courier Union has been conducting an occupation protest. The Courier Union began a strike on December 28 last year and started the occupation protest at the headquarters on the 10th of this month. On the 16th, they held a 'candlelight cultural event' in front of the headquarters, continuing from the previous day, urging the implementation of social agreements and resolution of the strike situation.

The issue is that the Courier Union's rally cleverly circumvented quarantine guidelines by combining it with the presidential election campaign. The rally was conducted in the form of Kim's campaign event, allowing about 700 union members to participate, exceeding the assembly and demonstration limit of 299 people set by quarantine guidelines. According to the guidelines, there is no limit on the number of participants in election campaigns. Kim supported the Courier Union rally with one campaign vehicle, and some union members, including Chairman Jin Kyung-ho, wore badges labeled 'election staff' while participating in the rally.

The Courier Union announced that from that day, they would begin an 'indefinite protest in Seoul' in front of the headquarters. They intend to increase the number of participants to several thousand, but even in that case, a rally is possible with just one campaign vehicle.

Although there are criticisms calling it a 'loophole rally,' there is no proper way to stop it. In fact, police were dispatched to the rally that day and recommended dispersal, but they could not disperse it due to the union's claim that it was an election campaign, and some police forces even withdrew. A representative from the National Election Commission said, "Election campaigning using campaign vehicles allows speeches by campaign workers even without the candidate present," and "Any registered campaign worker can speak from the podium."

The Courier Union has announced that on the 21st, they will hold a National Courier Workers' Rally with union members from CJ Logistics as well as the Korea Post, Lotte Courier, Hanjin Courier, and Logen Courier, signaling an escalation of the struggle. Considering that presidential election campaigning is allowed until the day before the vote on the 8th of next month, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., this means that unlimited participant rallies can be held daily until the day before the election.

There are growing criticisms that the government is standing by passively regarding the union's 'loophole rally.' Currently, the Ministry of Employment and Labor has not made a judgment to classify the occupation of the headquarters as an illegal dispute. The Ministry and the Central Labor Relations Commission have differing opinions on whether the employer is the currently occupied CJ Logistics headquarters or the agency. The police have stated that they can intervene only if the occupation is classified as an illegal dispute and are taking a wait-and-see approach. An industry insider said, "The government is not showing a clear stance due to the presidential election," and "The political circles are also not taking a position because they are conscious of election votes, making the situation even more frustrating."

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