Gyeonggi Province Supports 90% of Delivery Workers' Industrial Accident Insurance Premiums from This Year, Nation's First Initiative

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province will implement a 'Platform Delivery Worker Industrial Accident Insurance Premium Support Project' from this year to improve the poor working conditions of platform workers in the delivery industry.

According to the province on the 14th, this project is a new labor policy of Gyeonggi Province established due to the increase in platform workers in delivery and other sectors following the fourth industrial revolution and the spread of the digital platform economy, despite the lack of legal and institutional protective measures for these workers.

In particular, with the recent spread of COVID-19, the work intensity and risk level of platform workers engaged in delivery work using two-wheeled vehicles have increased, and there is growing demand for related measures to ensure they can work in a safe environment.

In fact, over the past three years, 32 deaths from two-wheeled vehicle delivery accidents occurred among people aged 18-24, showing a high rate of serious industrial accidents. Moreover, although delivery workers are legally required to obtain industrial accident insurance, the enrollment rate is low due to employers' avoidance.

In response, the province plans to cooperate with the Gyeonggi Province Employment Foundation to support 90% of industrial accident insurance premiums for delivery riders and quick service workers in the province for up to one year starting from March this year.

Specifically, applications will be received quarterly from employers and workers, and support funds will be provided through the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service after confirming industrial accident insurance enrollment and insurance premium payment. The project target for this year is a total of 2,000 people.

Along with such industrial accident insurance premium support, the province will also promote 'safety education and safety campaigns' throughout this year to strengthen safety awareness among two-wheeled vehicle delivery workers and improve perceptions of delivery workers.

Furthermore, the province plans to promote social dialogue involving Gyeonggi Province, platform companies, and platform labor unions to create opportunities to increase understanding among stakeholders and insurance enrollment rates regarding the importance of industrial accident insurance.

The province anticipates that as this project proceeds, the industrial accident insurance enrollment rate among delivery workers will increase, and through this, disaster prevention and protection for delivery workers who have been excluded from the social safety net, recovery of self-respect as workers, and improvement of perceptions regarding delivery workers and the industry will be achieved.

Kim Gyu-sik, Director of the Labor Bureau, stated, "This project aims to provide a social safety net to delivery workers in the blind spots of safety and create a fair working environment," adding, "Going forward, we will do our best to create a safe and fair working environment with a spirit of helping the weak and restraining the strong."

Since the seventh popular election term, the province has pursued various support projects and policies to address the gaps faced by platform workers.

Four mobile worker rest facilities were opened last year and are in operation, and a dedicated team was established in March last year to support platform workers. Additionally, the province enacted the 「Platform Worker Support Ordinance」 as the nation's first to establish legal grounds for protecting platform workers.