"Thought It Was Over"... Courier Union and Agency Alliance Now in 'Work-to-Rule' Controversy

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Although the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) National Courier Workers' Union (Courier Union) and the CJ Logistics Agency Union agreed to end the strike and return to work, conflicts have resumed amid controversy over 'work-to-rule' actions.

According to the courier industry on the 9th, the CJ Logistics Agency Union stated in a press release on the 7th, "The union has instructed its members to continue work-to-rule actions."

The Agency Union explained, "Work-to-rule is a clear violation of the joint agreement," adding, "If the agreement is not implemented, the agencies will have no choice but to respond according to law and principles." They emphasized, "If a crisis occurs, all responsibility lies with the union leadership."

The Agency Union argued, "If continuing work-to-rule is considered service normalization, which customer would trust us and entrust their deliveries?" and added, "'Service normalization' means showing a sincere apology to customers and courier workers who have experienced inconvenience and concern."

On the other hand, the union claims that the reason for the difficulty in returning to the field lies with the headquarters and the Agency Union. On the 8th, the Courier Union held a press conference in front of the CJ Logistics headquarters, stating, "The joint agreement reached with the Agency Union is on the verge of collapse, making it difficult to return to the field," and "The standard contract has not been properly drafted, and as a result, the scheduled return to the field has not been realized."

Jin Kyung-ho, the head of the Courier Union, pointed out, "Some agencies are still insisting on drafting the standard contract, including the supplementary agreement, and are forcibly terminating contracts even in violation of the Living Logistics Act."

He also claimed that some agencies demanded the 'waiver of union bargaining rights' as a condition for drafting the standard contract. He explained, "Forcing workers not to exercise the three labor rights guaranteed by the Constitution is an overreach," and "The right to strike is a matter the union must decide on its own."

The Courier Union went on strike on December 28 last year. After more than two months of strike, an agreement was reached with the Agency Union on the 2nd of this month. The joint agreement between the union and the Agency Union included provisions that members would draft a standard contract with individual agencies for the remaining contract period before returning to work and would not obstruct legal substitute deliveries. Discussions on the supplementary agreement were also scheduled to be completed by June 30.

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