Courier firm to pay for higher education for delivery workers
Employees receive trainings at SF Express.
A leading domestic courier firm has released a program to financially support the academic and vocational training of its delivery employees.
Shenzhen-based SF Express has become the first Chinese courier firm to launch an "employee sustainable development supportive plan."
The program was initiated after seven Chinese ministries and government bodies released a guideline in July to ensure the "lawful welfare" of the nation's large group of delivery workers spawned by the world's largest e-commerce market.
SF plans to invest over 500 million yuan (US$77.45 million) for its over 200,000 delivery workers to receive higher education or vocational training for new posts. Their family members will also benefit from the program.
"Front line delivery employees with high school degrees will be subsidized to study and acquire college degrees, while those with college degrees are encouraged to study undergraduate courses and get part of the tuition fee covered," an official with SF told Shanghai Daily on Tuesday.
Two categories of "sustainable development plans" have been unveiled to cultivate "specialists" and "management professionals" among the delivery workers.
The delivery and sorting employees will also be organized to receive skill identification and professional title evaluation to further elevate their skills.
The delivery workers will also be guided to receive cross-industry vocational training, such as in plumbing, store operation and farming, to expand their future career possibilities.
Senior delivery employees will be supported to transfer to other posts within the company, such as store assistant, small parcel deliveryman or storage worker.
The company will also allocate resources to help some employees become entrepreneurs.
"An SF deliveryman can become a partner of the company from an employee," the official said.
Children of delivery workers can enjoy priority to get employed in the company. The company will also buy various insurance policies, including those for critical illnesses, accidents and medical payments, for the families of its employees.
Almost 70,000 family members of outstanding delivery employees have been covered by the welfare insurance, according to the company.
Over 300 million packages are delivered across the nation every day, according to the latest statistics from the State Post Bureau of China.
The number of deliveries is expected to reach 95 billion pieces throughout 2021, the bureau said.
Apart from SF, multiple leading courier firms have increased payments to delivery workers to implement the government guidelines.
Shanghai-based YTO, ZTO, STO and Yunda, Best Express in neighboring Zhejiang Province, as well as the Indonesia-based J&T Express, have announced payment increases for grassroots delivery workers by 0.1 yuan for each package they deliver, beginning from September 1.
As a result, the monthly salary for delivery workers is expected to increase by 500 to 1,000 yuan, depending on the number of packages they send.
