Most night delivery drivers affiliated with Coupang CLS branches expressed strong opposition on the 8th to recently discussed plans to restrict night deliveries.
At the parcel delivery social dialogue held on Dec. 29 last year, interim findings from a study on the health risks of late-night delivery, commissioned by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) to academia, were shared. The study proposed night work regulations including: ▲ limiting average daily day-and-night work to 8 hours, with a 40-hour weekly cap ▲ limiting average daily day-and-night work to 8 hours, with a 46-hour weekly cap ▲ limiting night shifts to 12 per month ▲ limiting consecutive night shifts to 4 days.
In response, as backlash spread among the field, the Coupang Partners Association (CPA), a group of Coupang CLS branches, conducted an emergency survey of 2,098 night delivery drivers over two days on Jan. 7–8.
The survey found that more than 9 out of 10 respondents opposed limits on night delivery hours and frequency. A total of 91.5% opposed capping weekly night delivery hours at 40–46 hours, and 94.7% expressed a negative view of limiting the maximum number of night delivery days to 12 per month. A total of 93.9% also opposed restricting consecutive night deliveries to four.
Drivers' perceptions of appropriate work intensity showed a significant gap with the interim study results. The most common response, at 54.9%, was that working hours should be adjusted based on individual circumstances rather than set uniformly. That was followed by 55–60 hours per week (16.8%) and 50–55 hours per week (14.2%).
Regarding the appropriate number of night delivery days per month, 94% chose 21 days or more. Of those, 24–26 days accounted for 51.1% and 21–23 days for 42.9%, while only 1% said fewer than 15 days would be appropriate.
Night delivery drivers worry that the proposed restrictions under discussion could effectively lead to a reduction or suspension of dawn deliveries. If night delivery hours are cut, 92.2% said they would look for other work besides parcel delivery or consider additional jobs due to reduced income. A total of 90% said normal dawn delivery would become difficult.
On days off, 85.2% chose "guaranteed voluntary days off" as the reasonable approach, far outpacing "mandated closures" (14.8%). Expanding days off (51.5%) was the most selected realistic option for health management. Restrictions such as the 4-day consecutive limit (2.6%) or the 12-day monthly cap (0.8%) were viewed as ineffective.