Government-backed plans to allow early-morning delivery by large supermarkets have hit a snag as the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) and e-commerce giants Coupang and Kurly demand expanded nighttime work regulations.
The social dialogue body discussing reduced nighttime hours for delivery drivers has effectively suspended talks after FKTU, Coupang, and Kurly called for extending regulations to cover all freight transport workers, not just parcel couriers.
According to a ruling party official on Wednesday, Coupang and FKTU proposed expanding the scope of drivers subject to nighttime work limits to include all freight transport workers, including individual cargo haulers.
The proposal would extend regulations beyond drivers with "bae" license plates, which are designated for parcel delivery, to include all paid freight workers with "a, ba, sa, ja" license plates.
The argument is that if working hours are restricted to protect nighttime workers' health, the policy should cover all overnight freight workers in the distribution industry, not just Coupang's "bae" drivers.
Behind FKTU's demand lies the government's push to allow early-morning delivery for large supermarkets. "The government has announced plans to revise distribution laws to permit early-morning delivery by large supermarkets," an FKTU official said. "Large supermarket logistics sites employ transport workers with 'a, ba, sa, ja' plates alongside 'bae' drivers."
The official added: "If the distribution law is revised, these workers will also work early-morning shifts, so they should be included in the dialogue."
These demands have brought discussions to a standstill. A dialogue body official said a meeting scheduled for February 27 was suddenly canceled after FKTU's proposal emerged, adding that the Democratic Party of Korea, which leads the body, has yet to schedule a new meeting.
Labor and management also remain divided over total nighttime working hours. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, led by CJ Logistics, and the FKTU-Coupang side are reportedly at an impasse over weekly nighttime work caps.
The parcel delivery industry, including CJ Logistics, has agreed to the government's proposed 46-hour weekly limit for early-morning drivers. However, FKTU and Coupang maintain they cannot accept anything below 50 hours. "A 46-hour limit is unacceptable given current working conditions," an FKTU official said.
The government reportedly offered a compromise that would omit specific hours from the agreement while capping total weekly hours at 60, including the 30% premium for nighttime work. FKTU has rejected this as effectively equivalent to the 46-hour limit.
However, FKTU and Coupang have agreed in principle to introducing a five-day workweek. An FKTU official said they support implementing the five-day system one year after a social agreement is reached, adding that immediate application for newly contracted delivery drivers is also possible.
