Industrial action by contract workers at South Korea’s largest logistics company, CJ Logistics, continues to drag on.

The activist Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is holding a rally today, in defiance of Covid-19 related restrictions on gatherings.

Nearly 2,000 unionized workers protested outside Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul, breaking rules limiting attendance at rallies to 299 people and leading a strike that began Dec. 28.

Protesters used a vehicle belonging to presidential candidate Kim Jae-yeon, as campaign events are not affected by gathering size limits.

Since Feb. 10, around 200 union members have occupied the first and third floors of CJ Logistics’ headquarters in Seoul after breaking in, calling for an industry-wide strike if the company does not agree. not demands for higher wages and better working conditions. .

The union says that while CJ Logistics increased delivery charges by 27 cents, in response to growing demand from increased online sales, the increased charges did not translate into higher wages, the management of the company only “fattening its profits”.

Workers’ discontent began with complaints to the National Labor Relations Commission in June 2021, and the commission ordered CJ Logistics to negotiate directly with the KCTU. But CJ Logistics management has refused to negotiate with the workers, whom they describe as subcontractors hired by delivery agencies.

KCTU chief Jin Kyung-ho has now threatened to go on a hunger strike, although the siege at CJ Logistics headquarters was partially lifted today when workers left the third floor of the building.

CJ Logistics operations have been affected, but authorities are still hoping union members leave the building peacefully.

KCTU-affiliated workers make up only 7% of CJ Logistics’ delivery staff and package deliveries continue, albeit with some delays. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has hired 10,000 temporary workers to help CJ Logistics deliver the packages between January 17 and February 12.

This month, CJ Logistics said its 2021 net profit was up 11% year on year to $132.1 million.