Courier workers strike! eBay Korea and 11th Street delivery time delayed

Recently, due to the news that the courier driver died due to overwork, a wave of strikes has once again started in South Korea's courier industry.

Since last week, the Korean Express Workers Union has held strikes in some workplaces where they have the right to strike. In some factories where they do not have the right to strike, express workers have delayed their start time by two hours and started work at 11 a.m.

The strike has put considerable pressure on eBay Korea and 11th Street, as both companies only operate e-commerce platforms, with merchants responsible for delivering the products they sell to customers. The platform's express delivery business is outsourced to Korean logistics companies such as CJ Logistics, Hanjin Transport and Logen.

It is reported that the delivery service of eBay Korea and 11th Street has been delayed from a minimum of two days to a maximum of five days . eBay Korea issued a notice last Thursday stating that there may be a five-day delay in delivery. Despite the announcement, customers have been complaining about delays. Some customers have not received their orders for more than a week, or the packages have been returned a day after the seller sent them.

11th Street's situation is the same as eBay Korea's, and it also posted an announcement online, asking customers to understand the reasons for the delay.

As a major factor leading to overwork deaths among courier drivers, courier workers are demanding that logistics companies take over their package sorting work.

However, the strike did not affect South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang. Unlike eBay Korea and 11th Street, e-commerce companies like Coupang and SSG.com have their own logistics centers or directly employ delivery drivers.

Coupang provides car insurance, vehicle and other maintenance costs to ensure that couriers have a safe working environment. As of July last year, Coupang had employed more than 10,000 drivers.

SSG.com, backed by Shinsegae, employs separate workers to sort packages at its logistics centers. At the distribution centers, it has also established a system that automatically sorts packages according to customer addresses, reducing the work of delivery drivers.

Only 10% of delivery workers in South Korea have joined the strike, so it is unlikely to have a huge impact on the entire e-commerce market. But an industry insider said : "Nevertheless, consumers have begun to complain because online shopping has become a large part of our lives."

South Korea

express delivery

logistics