Opposition parties are pushing for a law limiting working hours to protect the health rights of dawn delivery drivers, but actual dawn delivery workers on the ground are increasingly opposing it. Dawn delivery drivers who have contracts with Coupang stated that the bill is not about protecting health rights but depriving them of their right to survive, expressing their opposition.
The Coupang Partners Alliance (CPA), a representative organization for Coupang courier drivers, issued a statement on the 31st saying, "On behalf of over 120 business outlets and more than 10,000 delivery drivers, we demand the immediate withdrawal of two bills amending the Life Logistics Service Industry Development Act and one bill amending the Industrial Safety and Health Act that deprive us of our right to survive."
The CPA pointed out, "A ridiculous bill proposing work for only three days a week and just 28 hours has been submitted to the National Assembly. The recently proposed bills are nothing more than a manifestation of confirmation bias that ignores the voices from the delivery sites and insists only on their own correctness."
According to the revised bills, night work must comply with the following: △maximum 10 hours per day and an average of 8 hours per week △maximum 48 hours per week and an average of 44 hours over two weeks △at least 11 consecutive hours of rest after ending night work △prohibition of continuous work exceeding three days and 35 consecutive hours off when working night shifts for three consecutive days △a maximum of 12 night work sessions per month.
Regarding this, the CPA stated, "It looks like a high-order equation with various regulations stuck all over it, but it essentially means working only 120 hours a month. If we consider a month as 30 days, night delivery drivers can work only 28 hours per week."
As a result of a survey conducted by the CPA from the 26th to the 28th among its 3,319 member delivery drivers, 96% of respondents opposed limiting working hours by law. In particular, 98% opposed limiting the maximum number of work days per month to 12 and restricting weekly working hours to within 30 hours.
The CPA said, "(Survey respondents) answered that if their income decreases due to working hour restrictions, they would either take on a 'second job' while continuing delivery work or quit the delivery industry altogether," adding, "This is not protecting the health rights of delivery drivers but depriving them of their right to survive."
The CPA's position is that the greatest advantage of dawn delivery work is that drivers can choose their own workload and working hours to increase income, and the state setting a uniform cap directly infringes on the fundamental right to freedom of occupational choice and income-generating activities.
The CPA emphasized, "There are methods that less infringe on basic rights, such as a five-day workweek system, flexible days off, and support for health checkups. Nevertheless, there is no reason to forcibly enforce working hour restrictions when drivers overwhelmingly oppose them."
Furthermore, the CPA added, "We demand an immediate halt to legislation that uniformly limits delivery drivers' working hours and number of workdays. If the bill is pushed forward despite overwhelming opposition from the field, we will not back down."
In addition, the CPA announced its stance to review whether the proposed revision infringes on the freedom of occupational performance and violates the principle of proportionality, and to file a constitutional petition while mobilizing all legal countermeasures, including a nationwide signature campaign, to block the bill revision.
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