SEOUL– The delivery workers union strongly demanded Thursday the government step in to complete the on-going negotiation to prevent overwork.
A second deal failed to be completed “due to resistance from the Korea Post,” Jin Kyung-ho, head of the Parcel Delivery Workers’ Solidarity Union, said during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. “We make it clear that the union can never sign a deal if the issue with the postal service is not resolved.”
On Wednesday, logistics firms and delivery workers reached a tentative deal to end a protracted strike that disrupted parcel delivery nationwide.
Under the deal, delivery workers, starting Jan. 1, will be barred from sorting parcels, a lengthy and exhausting job that was blamed for overwork and work-related deaths, and that they work no more than 60 hours a week.
The two sides, however, failed to narrow differences on the demand of postal service workers that a final draft specifically mention that Korea Post, the national postal service, will implement an agreement.
Postal service workers, who take up more than a majority of the union, have reported their company for violating the Labor Standards Act, saying that the state-run company has demanded excessive parcel delivery from its workers and shifted the responsibility for work-related accidents to workers.
“Private logistics companies also strongly request that a final deal should specifically mention Korea Post. They said they otherwise cannot sign a deal,” Jin said, adding that the postal service should take responsibility if a complete deal is not reached.
Yoon Joong-hyun, head of the union’s postal service team, criticized the state firm for not making good on its promises despite an agreement reached in January.
“Korea Post promised to hire additional workers for sorting and to pay extra money for the job. But it neither hired a single worker nor spent a dime,” he said.
The union urged the government to take the lead in solving the issue and warned that the union’s leadership will begin a hunger strike if the matter is not solved within this week.
The union launched an indefinite walkout last Wednesday after talks with the government and logistics firms on implementing a January deal fell through.
They also staged an overnight strike in Seoul earlier this week, which was timed with the resumption of the meeting over the implementation of overwork prevention measures.
Under the January deal, the companies had agreed to provide extra workers to sort parcels and take other steps to ease the burden on couriers, who have long complained of overwork from sorting parcels before delivery and doing so without additional pay. The agreement also calls on logistics firms to provide extra money to workers for sorting parcels and to work to automate the job.
The deal was reached after 16 delivery workers died last year apparently due to overwork.
Source: Yonhap News Agency