The Democratic Party of Korea launched a "parcel delivery social dialogue body." It plans to prepare measures to address safety issues for parcel couriers caused by the spread of late-night deliveries and to guarantee days off.
Kim Byung-gi, the Democratic Party floor leader, attended the launch ceremony for the "parcel delivery social dialogue body" at the National Assembly on the 26th and said, "As late-night delivery has become commonplace, the working environment for parcel workers is deteriorating further. It is time for a win-win solution that harmonizes consumers' convenience, corporations' competitiveness, and workers' right to health."
The Democratic Party also launched a parcel delivery social dialogue body twice in 2021, achieving a social agreement to prevent overwork-related deaths among parcel workers. The goal of this social dialogue body is to find measures to address safety issues for parcel couriers caused by late-night deliveries and to guarantee days off.
Min Byeong-deok, a lawmaker who is the Chairperson of the Democratic Party's "Eul (subcontractors) Livelihood Action Committee" (Euljiro Committee), said, "With a desperate sense that there should no longer be a world where people have to risk their lives to go to work or cannot go home from work, we launched the social dialogue body," adding, "We will work closely with the party, the government, and the presidential office to draw up measures suited to the changing parcel delivery market."
Democratic Party lawmakers; government ministries including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Fair Trade Commission; parcel delivery companies including Coupang; labor unions; and civic groups took part in the social dialogue body.
Park Seok-un, head of the Countermeasures Committee on Overwork Deaths in Parcel Delivery, said, "Because of the late-night delivery triggered by Coupang's entry into the parcel delivery industry and the murderous delivery speed competition, such as '365 delivery' and 'two to three rounds of delivery,' spurred by that, more than 20 parcel logistics workers are known to have died at Coupang alone over the past three to four years," adding, "We must prevent overwork deaths in parcel delivery through public regulation of late-night labor and reasonable institutional improvements for holiday deliveries and multiple delivery rounds."