"Coupang Subcontracted Delivery Workers Get 18 Minutes of Rest Per Day"

'Quickflex' Workers Survey
43% Say "No Break Time"

According to a survey, delivery workers subcontracted by Coupang take only 18 minutes of break time per day, including meal time. Two out of five workers responded that they have no meal or rest time at all.

On the 20th, the Committee for Measures Against Overwork Deaths of Delivery Workers reported the results of a labor conditions survey conducted from the 1st to the 12th of this month targeting Coupang 'QuickFlex' workers. The average daily meal and rest time for these workers was 18.1 minutes.

Coupang QuickFlex workers belong to logistics companies contracted with Coupang Logistics Service (CLS), a logistics delivery subsidiary of Coupang, unlike Coupang Friends (formerly Coupangman), who are directly employed by Coupang. They deliver using cargo trucks over 1 ton.

Among 271 valid respondents, 116 (42.8%) answered that they have no meal or rest time. 89 (32.8%) reported having between 10 and 30 minutes, and 28 (10.3%) said less than 10 minutes.

The average number of working days per week was 5.9, and the average daily working hours reached 9.7 hours. This amounts to working over 57 hours per week on average.

The average number of days off per month was 4.8. During the four-day Lunar New Year holiday in January, the average days off were only 1.2 days.

On January 11, ten days before the Lunar New Year holiday, workers are sorting delivery packages and loading them onto vehicles at the Seoul Complex Logistics Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

QuickFlex workers endured long hours without breaks and suffered from job insecurity.

Among 278 valid respondents, 118 (42.4%) had experienced or witnessed dismissal measures known as 'cleansing.'

When asked if they felt anxious about being fired, 217 (78.1%) answered 'yes.' Among them, 126 (45.3%) said they felt 'very anxious.'

The committee argued that this job insecurity stems from the inadequate enforcement of the Living Logistics Service Act. This law stipulates that, unless there are special reasons, businesses must guarantee employment for delivery workers for six years and should strive to renew contracts thereafter.

The committee pointed out, "The labor conditions of Coupang QuickFlex remain at the level before the announcement of measures against overwork deaths of delivery workers. (This survey) revealed violations of the law as well as a lack of social consensus."

They urged for a reduction in working hours and comprehensive management and supervision of Coupang by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

In response, a CLS official stated, "QuickFlex workers are individual business owners, and operations and management fall under the jurisdiction of the delivery sales offices. We ask the committee to stop making baseless false claims against CLS."

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