DELIVERY WORKERS RETURN TO WORK

[Anchor Lead]

Delivery workers have returned to their workplaces after a strike that lasted more than a week. Labor, management and the government have reached a tentative agreement on ways to improve couriers' working conditions.

[Pkg]

Under the second social agreement, couriers will not have to sort parcels anymore beginning next year.

[Soundbite] Park Seok-un(Committee for preventing overwork in delivery workers(Jun. 16)) : "We have agreed that sorting and unpaid labor, the culprits of deaths caused by overwork, will disappear for sure from January 1."

Until the end of this year, logistics companies must either install automated sorters or hire one extra worker per two couriers. Hanjin and Lotte have decided to hire one thousand more workers to sort parcels than the number presented in the first social agreement. If couriers inevitably have to sort packages, they will receive proper remuneration for that.

[Soundbite] Jin Kyung-ho(Delivery workers' labor union(Jun. 16)) : "This stipulation says that couriers must be paid much more in order to motivate logistics companies to install wheel sorters to save on labor costs."

The new agreement says couriers' workday must not exceed 12 hours, or 60 hours per week. Funds for hiring sorting workers and installing new equipment will likely be created by raising the existing shipment fees.

[Soundbite] Kim Jong-chul(CJ Logistics) : "The fees are almost sure to be raised. Some couriers have already increased their fees. The extra collected fees must make its way to logistics branches or couriers."

With the agreement, the unionized delivery workers ended their strike that has lasted for more than a week and resumed their duties. However, the final deal for Korea Post couriers has been postponed to June 18 due to the unresolved issue of proper compensation for sorting operations.