On the 21st, Coupang CEO Kang Han-seung stated regarding the improvement of working conditions for Coupang delivery workers, "I will faithfully implement the conclusions (agreements) drawn through social dialogue."
On that day, CEO Kang responded to a query from Democratic Party member Lee Yong-woo during a hearing titled "Hearing on Improving the Working Conditions of Coupang Delivery Workers, Including Night Work" held by the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee. The query concerned whether Coupang would participate in the social dialogue table to resolve the night and late-night work issues of its delivery workers and would faithfully implement the outcomes.
When Lee asked, "Do you agree that we should actively participate in the social dialogue table, express our opinions, and comprehensively improve the conditions once an agreement is reached?" CEO Kang briefly replied, "Yes."
The hearing was attended by CEO Kang, Hong Yong-jun, CEO of Coupang Logistics Services (CLS), Jeong Jong-cheol, CEO of Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS), and other Coupang executives. Coupang founder Bum Seok Austin Kim was absent due to attendance at the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In particular, Coupang stated that it would prepare improvement measures for the parcel sorting work, which had been criticized as "free labor."
Earlier, the Ministry of Employment and Labor urged Coupang Logistics Services (CLS) to devise measures to alleviate the workload of quick flexers (delivery drivers) involved in sorting parcels contained in rolltainers.
Lee asked Hong, "Do you recognize that sorting parcels for loading (shipping) is not the inherent duty of delivery workers? Will you find a solution to prevent the workload or free labor issue in this regard?" Hong responded, "We will gather opinions from business owners and field workers to prepare improvement measures."
Additionally, Coupang promised compensation for delivery workers whose livelihoods were interrupted due to restrictions on entering delivery centers after distributing union newsletters.
Earlier, on July 4th, 2023, Song Jeong-hyun, head of the Coupang Il-san branch of the National Delivery Workers Union, was restricted from entering Coupang Camp (center) due to union activities. This issue has been ruled as unfair by the Supreme Court at the end of last year.
Hong noted, "We respect the intention of the Supreme Court's decision" and added, "We regret the long-term damage caused by the entry restrictions. We will provide compensation for the areas that suffered damage in reality." When Lee asked if they would also take responsibility for reinstating head of the branch Song, Hong replied, "Yes."
Besides this, Coupang promised to proactively engage in negotiations concerning the CFS union. When Lee commented, "The CFS union has conducted more than 50 negotiations since 2021, yet no agreements on wages or collective agreements have been reached. If you are not a business site user denying the union, you need to actively resolve this. Do you understand?" Jeong replied, "We will negotiate sincerely."