Advisers push for better worker protections in parcel sector

National lawmakers and top political advisers called for better protection of couriers' legal rights and interests by improving the insurance system, cutting work hours and amending the Postal Law, at the recently concluded two sessions, China's most important annual political event.

Wang Yong, a manager at delivery enterprise SF Express in Hubei province, and also a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, said every courier should have accident insurance.

With the rapid development of the e-commerce industry, couriers shuttle through the streets and alleys every day, facing a complex work environment and high work intensity, as well as many potential risks, he said.

"If there is no accident insurance, couriers may incur medical expenses of a large amount of money if they are involved in a traffic accident while on duty. If they are injured, it will also disrupt their normal work and affect their income," Wang said.

Couriers should be provided with medical expenses, disability compensation and even death compensation payments for family members based on specific circumstances for accidents and property losses incurred during work, he said.

"Many big parcel delivery companies buy accident insurance for couriers but there are still some couriers without it," he said.

The way employment in the industry works is a further problem, as some couriers don't sign contracts with the delivery company directly and are employed instead through a third party.

Yao Jinbo, CEO of life services website 58.com and also an NPC deputy, suggested the introduction of a new type of insurance for people working in what he called "new industries", such as couriers in the parcel delivery sector.

Their flexible employment model differs from traditional working practices, which poses challenges to the protection of rights and interests, he said.

"Relevant departments should implement policies to establish a special type of insurance for this group, different from social security," he said, adding that the current social security model is expensive for those employed in the "new industry".

He also noted that if there were a new type of social security that is cheaper than the current one and provides basic protection, both companies and workers would be willing to contribute.

"This type of insurance and social security category can essentially ensure the safety, health and retirement of this group," he said.

Ma Junsheng, former head of the State Post Bureau of China and a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, suggested amending the Postal Law to "strengthen the top-level design, clarify the legal orientation, improve management empowerment and optimize institutional coordination".

"The development of the postal and express delivery industry faces some governance issues, such as environmental protection and the protection of workers' rights and interests," he said.

Wang from SF Express also suggested parcel delivery companies consider reducing the daily working hours of couriers, lowering the intensity of labor and ensuring that couriers have sufficient time to rest.

China's express delivery sector has seen rapid development in the past 15 years, especially since 2012.

The volume of deliveries has risen more than twenty-fold from less than 5.7 billion in 2012 to 132 billion last year, according to the State Post Bureau.

Last year, about 360 million parcels were generated every day in China, which were delivered and collected by more than 4 million couriers across the country.

The advisers agreed their legal rights should be highly valued.

"If a courier can do this job for a long time, his or her rights and interests should be guaranteed accordingly, without any worries for the future," Wang said, adding that it is essential to keep the industry sustainable.