South Korean delivery workers say COVID-19 boom means relentless toil

  • 📰 ChannelNewsAsia
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 30 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 15%
  • Publisher: 66%

Singapore Headlines News

Singapore Latest News,Singapore Headlines

SEOUL: South Korea's delivery workers have fallen into what they call a 'legal blind spot' and say it is a deadly place to be as the coronavirus ...

The big delivery firms are enjoying strong profits. CJ Logistics reported a 21 per cent rise in first-half operating profit and Hanjin Transportation posted a 35 per cent increase. Those companies represent about 64 per cent of the delivery market.

One of those who died was Kim Won-jong, who developed breathing difficulties at work. His father blamed the relentless demands of his job. But delivery people and others working under subcontracts are regarded as self-employed and do not get the minimum hourly wage, nor overtime, and most have no insurance for on-the-job injuries.

Then, usually not taking a lunch break to save time, he drives a truck he pays for until he finishes at about 9pm. The father of three takes home about US$2,200, about average for South Korea's couriers, according to a recent survey.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 6. in SG

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.