Coupang Eats Joins... 'Gyeonggi Province Platform Delivery Industry Workers Council' Officially Launched

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 26th that it has officially launched the 'Gyeonggi Province Platform Delivery Industry Workers Council,' a permanent consultation body involving local government, labor unions, and private enterprises, and has begun full-scale operations as of July this year.

This follows the province's operation of four working-level meetings with platform delivery companies and labor unions starting in October 2020, and is part of the 'Gyeonggi Province Platform Delivery Industry Workers Social Dialogue Agreement' concluded with relevant labor unions and companies on April 29 this year.

As a follow-up measure, on the 21st, a 'Platform Delivery Industry Workers Social Dialogue Online Video Conference' was held in non-face-to-face format, where agreement was reached on the composition of a permanent social dialogue body, and consultation was held on meeting operation plans including the name and meeting schedule.

Based on matters discussed in the video conference, the official name of this working-level organization was determined as the 'Gyeonggi Province Platform Delivery Industry Workers Council.'

The labor unions participating in the council are Rider Union, Korean Service Industry Workers' Federation, and Service General Labor Union Baemin Riders Chapter—three organizations in total. The participating companies are Woowa Brothers, Delivery Hero Korea, Spider Craft Co., Ltd., Baro Go Co., Ltd., Mesh Korea Co., Ltd., Logioll Co., Ltd., Coupang Eats Service, Gyeonggi Province Co., Ltd., and Korea Startup Forum—nine companies in total.

The council will work to promote healthy development of the related industry, protect workers' rights and interests, and create a fair coexistence ecosystem through continuous social dialogue in response to the rapidly changing platform labor environment resulting from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, COVID-19, and the expansion of the delivery industry.

In particular, through quarterly regular meetings and ad-hoc temporary meetings, the council will focus on faithful implementation of agreements made at the time of the accord such as strengthening the social safety net for delivery workers, promotion of detailed projects, and discussion of measures to protect the safety and rights of delivery workers beyond the accord. Specific agenda items are scheduled to be determined at a temporary meeting to be held in early August.

Based on this, the council plans to build a 'regional-type social dialogue model' through labor-management-government role sharing, and to lay the groundwork for stakeholders to autonomously pool their wisdom and find substantive problem-solving measures for platform delivery industry-related conflicts and disputes that cannot be resolved through existing laws and systems.

This is the first case nationwide among local governments where a local government has taken the initiative to create a 'regional-type labor-management-government social dialogue model' related to the platform delivery industry.
The local government's plan is to overcome the weaknesses of the top-down, government-led policy approach of the past through role-sharing, where the local government produces business content, while labor and management take responsibility for publicity and dissemination.

Participating organizations in the 'Council' plan to actively participate in Gyeonggi Province projects for realizing a 'fair world where labor is respected,' including promotion through their own organizational networks related to the 'Gyeonggi Province Delivery Worker Industrial Accident Insurance Premium Support Project' and the 'Gyeonggi Province Delivery Worker Safety Education' project, which are being implemented for the first time this year.

Meanwhile, on the day of the April accord, Governor Lee Jae-myung stated through his social media: "With COVID-19, we are experiencing a new qualitative change comparable to an industrial revolution. However, as there are no appropriate standards accompanying this change, it ultimately works disadvantageously for the weak. Appropriate standards for coexistence between workers and companies are urgently needed. I hope this council becomes the first step in deriving new standards befitting the new era."