Small Business Owners Outraged Over Early Morning Delivery Restrictions: "Online Sales Channels Blocked"

KFME Issues Statement
"Ban on Early Morning Delivery Would Cause Significant Damage"

The Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has demanded restrictions on early morning delivery services, a move that has drawn backlash from small business owners, who argue that such a proposal would block their online sales channels.

On November 9, the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises (KFME) released a statement saying, "The KCTU's call to ban early morning delivery is an act that undermines the government's efforts to revive the people's economy," adding, "If restrictions on early morning delivery become a reality, small business owners will lose access to online sales channels, which could result in irreparable and significant damage."

Vehicles going to and from a Coupang logistics center in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The KFME explained, "Many small business owners now receive ingredients via early morning delivery to prepare for daily operations. If early morning delivery is suspended, they will be forced to drive out at dawn to purchase ingredients, leading to a need for additional manpower." The organization further warned, "An unreasonable ban on early morning delivery could collapse the ecosystem of small business owners who have come to rely on this service, and ultimately destabilize the broader Korean economic system." The statement added, "If a ban on early morning delivery is implemented, we will collect claims for damages from small business owners who use platforms such as Coupang and demand compensation for losses."

Previously, on October 22, the National Courier Union under the KCTU proposed at a 'Social Dialogue for Parcel Delivery' meeting, organized by the Democratic Party of Korea, that early morning delivery services should be prohibited from midnight to 5 a.m. in order to protect delivery workers' sleep and health rights.

In relation to this, the Korea Logistics Society, the country's largest logistics industry association, estimated in a report released on November 6 titled "A Study on the Impact of Early Morning and Seven-Day Delivery," that if early morning and seven-day delivery services are halted and parcel order volumes decrease by about 40%, the resulting annual loss would amount to 54.3 trillion won.

The Coupang Friends Labor Union, representing directly employed delivery drivers at Coupang, issued a statement regarding the KCTU's push to ban early morning delivery, saying, "This appears to be retaliation for our withdrawal from the KCTU." The union emphasized, "We will focus on practical activities for our members, not political actions," noting that in November 2023, 93% of its members voted to leave the KCTU.

The Coupang Friends Labor Union further criticized, "The KCTU claims that banning early morning delivery is essential for workers, but never made such demands while we were affiliated. Despite the fact that this issue concerns the livelihoods of delivery drivers, discussions are proceeding without the participation of the Coupang Friends Labor Union and the National Non-Union Courier Association, the parties directly affected."