The UK Supreme Court ruled Friday that Uber drivers should be classed as workers and not self employed, in a decision that threatens its business model and holds broader implications for the so-called gig economy. The Supreme Court s seven judges unanimously rejected Uber s appeal against a lower court ruling, handing defeat to the ride-hailing giant in the culmination of a long-running legal battle. The judges agreed with an earlier tribunal decision that found two Uber drivers were workers under British law, therefore entitling them to benefits such as paid holidays and the minimum wage.
Uber had argued that the two were independent contractors. The company has 65,000 active drivers in the UK.
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Letters
SNP Commons leader Pete Wishart speaks in the House of Commons, London, where he said that ministers must urgently explain whether or not the police investigation into Conservative MPs election expenses swayed a decision for a snap election.. MR Pete Wishart MP may believe the SNP’s new route map to independence is the only way forward (Holyrood election is not a de facto vote on indyref2, February 17) but sadly the more predictable outcome is that no-one in Westminster will be quaking in their shoes with these microwaved proposals, which are more a dead end for the wider Yes movement than a solid road forward. Firstly, two key deficiencies are visible in both timescale and detail.
Following this morning’s UK Supreme Court ruling that Uber drivers are workers, not self-employed contractors, global union federation representing 20 million transport workers has called on Uber to abandon its predatory business model globally.
The unanimous dismissal of Uber’s appeal handed down by the court ends a long-running legal battle after Uber appealed and lost through all four rounds.
February 19, 2021
The employment status of Uber drivers is coming down to geography. In California, Uber convinced voters in November that its drivers are in fact contractors. In the UK this week, the highest court in the country wasn’t so easily swayed.
The UK Supreme Court ruled this week that Uber must treat its drivers there as workers, not as self-employed contractors. The decision paves the way for Uber drivers in the UK to get benefits such as minimum wage and paid leave.
In its unanimous decision, the UK Supreme Court rejected Uber’s appeal of an earlier ruling by an employment tribunal ruling.