Coupang labor union (the union) was unable to attend the third meeting of the courier social dialogue body held at the National Assembly on the 28th due to opposition from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). The Coupang union also issued a statement condemning social dialogue that excludes the parties involved.
Chairperson Jeong Jin-young of the Coupang union said in a call with ChosunBiz that day, "The social dialogue, which began with the aim of improving delivery workers' labor conditions, is veering off in the wrong direction toward a ban on dawn delivery," and "To prevent debates straying from the essence from repeating, we went to the National Assembly to request participation in the third meeting but were kicked out."
Afterward, the Coupang union issued a statement saying, "The Democratic Party of Korea and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions welcomed the Coupang union, but on what grounds is the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) opposing the attendance of the Coupang union, which is a party to the issue?" and "As far as we know, the KCTU's National Courier Labor Union (courier union) has only 30 to 40 night-delivery courier members. How can such a KCTU represent tens of thousands of night-delivery couriers?"
The Coupang union said, "Social dialogue is not the exclusive domain of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)," and "How can it be called social dialogue when it excludes the parties from the meeting and does not disclose the proceedings? What member of the public could accept results produced while excluding the night couriers who are parties to the issue, as well as countless consumers?"
The Coupang union said, "If we fail to prevent a backroom deal, only a few will benefit from the volume, and tens of thousands of couriers will end up losing their jobs," and "In the end, only a small number of members under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), certain courier companies that are standing by expecting delivery fee hikes, and some Chinese e-commerce corporations that have started dawn delivery amid all this will be fattened."
Meanwhile, the third meeting held at the National Assembly that day was said to have ended without a conclusion regarding the ban on dawn delivery. The courier social dialogue body was launched in Sep. under the lead of the Democratic Party of Korea to improve couriers' labor conditions. Participating are relevant ministries including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), and officials from Coupang, CJ Logistics, and Kurly.
Since the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) courier union formally proposed a ban on dawn delivery at the first meeting on Oct. 22, the social dialogue that continued through the second and third meetings has been stalled for a month. The content of the third meeting was closed to the public and reportedly covered matters such as the review results of the first and second social agreements.