Courier Labor and Management Face to Face After Two Months of Strike... Will They Find a Solution?

Delivery Workers' Union "Will Talk with Agencies"
Two Months of Strike and Two Weeks of Headquarters Occupation Lead to Meeting
"Partial Lift of Occupation" Followed by Attempt to Enter Logistics Center

On the morning of the 22nd, the delivery workers' union attempted to enter CJ Logistics Gonjiam Mega Hub. They were blocked by the police and company security personnel and withdrew that morning.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The nationwide courier workers' union (Courier Union) strike, triggered by disputes over the use of increased delivery fees, reaches a turning point on the 23rd. The standoff, marked by illegal occupations and internal conflicts, has persisted, but the possibility of a meeting for dialogue between labor and management has increased on this day.

In a statement released on the day, the Courier Union announced, "We accept the official dialogue request proposed by the Agency Union Federation." The union proposed that five representatives from each organization meet at 3 p.m. at the sit-in site in front of the CJ Logistics headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. The Courier Union strike marked its 58th day, and the occupation of the headquarters reached its 14th day on this date.

Earlier, the Agency Union Federation had set this day as a deadline to propose dialogue to the union. Courier workers, who are members of the Courier Union, work under contracts with each agency. Although the agencies are nominally the employers, the Courier Union has insisted that CJ Logistics, as the primary contractor, must intervene directly. CJ Logistics has argued that since there is a distinct employer, it cannot intervene directly. The courts have yet to reach a final decision on whether CJ Logistics should be considered the employer.

The union also stated on the day, "We have consistently insisted that CJ Logistics must participate in the dialogue and will make every effort to resolve the strike situation," adding, "Even if the union and the Agency Union Federation engage in dialogue, the role of CJ Logistics as the primary contractor remains the most important in resolving the strike."

Members of the CJ Logistics Courier Joint Countermeasures Committee urged CJ Logistics and the government and ruling party to respond to their proposal for dialogue during a press conference held by the CJ Courier Joint Countermeasures Committee at the Mart Industry Labor Union in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 22nd.

The union's decision to proactively engage in dialogue is interpreted as a response to the cooling public opinion surrounding the strike. Civil society organizations have repeatedly emphasized the need to resolve the issue through dialogue. The union began striking around the end of last year and on the 10th of this month forcibly entered the CJ Logistics headquarters, continuing the illegal occupation. Although they withdrew from part of the headquarters building, they did not relent in their aggressive tactics, attempting to block vehicle traffic by trying to enter the Gonjiam Mega Hub terminal, a core CJ Logistics facility, the day before.

The Gonjiam Mega Hub is the largest among the hubs where courier volumes converge, and any issues there cause logistics disruptions not only in the metropolitan area but across the country. The company had previously requested police protection for the facility, preventing the union from staging a surprise occupation like at the headquarters, leading to their withdrawal on the morning of the day. However, the union has left open the possibility of attempting re-entry, keeping the company on edge.

Attention is also focused on how the court will handle CJ's injunction request to prohibit the union's obstruction of business. CJ Logistics and CJ Freshway previously filed injunction requests with the court to lift the union's illegal occupation. The Seoul Central District Court scheduled a hearing on the afternoon of the day to hear both parties' positions. CJ Logistics employees emphasized in a statement the day before, "If the claims are legitimate, the procedures and expressions must also be legitimate," urging the union to cease the illegal occupation.

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