Agency Union: "If Strikes Occur, Courier Workers Face Mutual Destruction... Must Stop Threatening the Public"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] The CJ Logistics Courier Agency Union stated on the 18th regarding the nationwide courier union's decision to initiate a partial strike, "Repeated strikes are a path to mutual destruction for all courier workers," and urged, "Immediately stop the public intimidation acts using consumer goods as hostages."

The courier union announced plans to begin a struggle against CJ Logistics starting with a partial strike from the 26th. However, it is reported that even within the union, specific details such as the exact timing of the partial strike and the number of participants have not been finalized. The courier union previously conducted four strikes in 2021 and illegally occupied the CJ Logistics headquarters building with violence in February 2022.

The Agency Union explained, "It is incomprehensible to repeat the same pattern less than a year after promising to end strikes by drafting a joint agreement in March last year," adding, "It appears that the 'hardline leadership' who led the illegal occupation, violent incidents, and prolonged strikes at that time is once again inciting union members to run amok."

The Agency Union labeled the courier union's partial strike as "public intimidation," asserting, "Threatening announcements about when the partial strike will begin or escalating the level of struggle, regardless of actual implementation, are merely shallow tactics to intimidate consumers and achieve their goals."

The Agency Union pointed out, "Consumers living in areas with high union membership are paying the same fees but are suffering from habitual delayed deliveries, refusal of doorstep delivery, rudeness, and disputes with customers, failing to receive proper service," and added, "The order of the day is to reflect on why the public is turning their backs on the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the courier union."

Especially, the Agency Union emphasized, "It is ironic that the hardline leadership who led illegal occupations with violence, causing financial damage and criminal prosecution risks to union members, is now leading this dispute," and stressed, "All courier workers are being pushed into crisis due to the hardline leadership's reckless actions."

The Agency Union recalled, "The last words of the agency owner in Gimpo in 2021, who took his own life due to harassment by the courier union, still reflect what is happening on the ground today," and added, "We clearly remember the leadership at that time who insulted the deceased by holding a press conference on the day of the funeral instead of mourning."

The Agency Union claimed, "It is a fact known to anyone working in the courier industry that the courier union's habitual disputes lead to client company defections and volume decreases," and stated, "All damages caused by the collapse of the business base are the responsibility of the courier union leadership."

Regarding the Seoul Administrative Court ruling on the 12th, the Agency Union explained, "The courier union's claim to bypass agencies and deal only with the primary contractor denies the existence of agencies and is absolutely unacceptable," and urged, "Do not provoke unnecessary confusion and conflict on the ground and exercise restraint until the final ruling is made."

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