Uber s British union deal gets mixed reception
By AFP
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US ride-hailing giant Uber won a mixed reception Thursday for its historic pact with a British trade union to represent its 70,000 UK drivers.
Uber on Wednesday formally recognised the GMB union, after a court ruling granted workers rights to its UK drivers.
The news sparked hope of better working conditions for gig economy staff across Britain but has also generated fierce criticism from some quarters.
Trades union umbrella body the TUC described it as a landmark agreement that gives Uber drivers a real voice at work . Unions won t rest until platform companies across the gig economy agree to work with their staff on improving pay and conditions, said TUC boss Frances O Grady.
A RAID by the Met Police and Immigration Enforcement on low-paid food delivery workers was deplorable, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said yesterday.
The union said that Tuesday’s operation in Tooting, south London, was an example of racial profiling by the police.
In a social media post, the Met Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) boasted that it had stopped 48 bikes in a period of 90 minutes and that two arrests for immigration offences had been made.
It claimed that the operation, which it said was held with Immigration Enforcement, was in response to “numerous complaints” about riders.
Delivery Driversâ Struggles Are an Inspiration To Fight Against Precariousness Everywhere
Delivery work became a lifeline for many workers and small businesses during the pandemic, but major platforms have reaped benefits off the back of workers.
Photo: PTI
Rights12/May/2021
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the closure of various activities across the world, as well as social distancing measures for large parts of urban populations, was required. This led to changes in mobility patterns as well as the flourishing of new activities and jobs. Among the latter, a spike in product delivery â deemed an essential activity crucial to maintaining lockdown and social distancing and avoiding infection surges â has been registered. In Mexico alone, delivery services registered growth rates of up to 80% because of the health crisis, with a market estimated at $1,832 million, according to Statista.
Northern Ireland extends health and safety worker protections
Out-Law News | 10 May 2021 | 10:59 am | 1 min. read
Workers in Northern Ireland are to be given the same protections from employer repercussions for actions they take in respect of workplace health and safety as employees, economy minister Diane Dodds has announced.
Currently, employees in Northern Ireland are protected against employer detriment if they take any action to protect themselves or others where they reasonably believe there is a serious and imminent danger in their place of work. However, the same protections are not extended to those without full employee status. Examples of detriment include being passed over for promotion or being treated differently by management.
BERKELEY The recent failure to unionise workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama is merely the latest chapter in the long decline of traditional working-class organisations. Has the pandemic made things even worse?