Foreign media: Seoul takeaway workers lamented, "Seeing a few drops of gasoline dropped, it feels that it is hard -sweat and tears"

The website of the Peninsula TV Station on July 21, the original title: life cost, the "sweat" oil price of the Seoul delivery driver rose, but the salary standards did not increase. A Korean driver and labor rights leader focused on dealing with an increasingly unstable life.

I can get less and less money to go home

On the morning of each working day, the first thing Park Jung -hun was doing was to drag a box of boxes of bottles from the freezer and send it to the refrigerated box set by Seoul, so that the companion who delivered meals could drink a cup of cold drinks.

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Frozen water can make people temporarily cool, but the delivery workers also have to deal with opponents that are more fierce than hot: In the early stages of Russia and Ukraine, gasoline prices climbed to 1904 won per liter (about 1.40 US dollars); in early July, gasoline prices rose to rise By 2117 won, it was higher than 1628 won in the same period last year.

The driver paid for each meal, ranging from 2500 won to 7,000 won. The reward is determined by the algorithm, and the specific considerations include distance, time and weather. In case of special circumstances such as heavy rain and traffic jams, drivers can earn more money. However, the food delivery company has not increased the salary standard to offset the impact of the rise in oil prices.

Park Jung Huan said that as oil prices rose, drivers could get less and less money from home. He is now afraid of refueling the motorcycle. "When the waiter at the gas station asked me how many liters, my mouth was shaking. After adding the oil, I saw a few drops of gasoline falling to the ground. Blood, sweat and tears. "

Public safety issue

Park Zhengxun emphasized that for food delivery staff, the increase in oil prices and the general increase in living costs are not only personal financial issues, but also public safety issues.

Rising oil prices means that drivers must do more for the same money, which leads to food delivery staff. Because the meal delivery is charged at the order, many meal delivery staff will drive faster, so as to squeeze more delivery in the day. In order to save time and money, some people choose to eat fast food, and they cannot sit down and eat well. Some people reduce liquid intake to avoid wasting time due to the toilet.

These factors make driving in cities more dangerous. Park Jung Huan said: "The streets have become a battlefield." In addition to delivery, Park Jung Huan also managed the riding alliance. This is a association consisting of about 1,000 meal delivery staff, including part -time students or business owners, as well as a full -time job.

In recent years, various factors have been intertwined and promoted the explosive growth of the Korean food distribution market. According to Korean government data, the market size was 25.6 trillion won in 2021, higher than the 17.3 trillion won in the previous year and 9.7 trillion won in 2019.

Life cost crisis

Rising energy prices is part of the widespread spread of the cost of living in Korea. Inflation hit a 24 -year high in June, and the rise in food and housing prices exceeded the budget of many families.

The crisis of living costs makes people realize that Korean society needs labor to operate. Not long ago, Korean truck drivers held a national strike to protest the rise in oil prices. Like the food delivery staff, the truck driver is paid at the delivery volume, and their income is vulnerable to the impact of the rise in energy prices. The strike leads to the shortage of goods on the store shelves, which directly affects some large domestic companies in South Korea. In less than a week, the strike caused a loss of $ 1.2 billion to some companies.

At present, Park Jung Huan has no plans to strike, and he does not like confrontation strategies. However, he encountered a problem when he tried to organize food distributors: Many distributors worked for more than one company, so they were often busy with their own affairs. They use smartphones to find the next job, and they rarely communicate with others. Therefore, Park Jung Hyun's first task is often convinced them: they have common interests. He said: "This is a question of persuasion and education. Many platforms of platforms have no time to understand their rights and how to improve these rights." For example, starting in January this year, food delivery staff began to be eligible Insurance, but Park Jung Huan said that some people still don't know that they have the right to get this support.

Park Jung Huan hopes that this hot summer will soon end, at least he will not get up early to send ice water. However, he knows that once summer passes, it won't be long, and it will bring cold wind and ice streets in winter. In summer, he was afraid to receive a sushi order; in winter, if the food is cold, he must be ready to accept the customer's complaint. (Author Steven Borovitz, translated by Chen Junan)

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