Uber is appealing an employment tribunal ruling that its drivers are workers and therefore entitled to sick pay, minimum wage and paid holidays, according to a
Guardian report.
Uber has long treated its drivers as self-employed contractors, making money by taking a cut of their fares. But two drivers, James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam, took the ride-sharing company to court, arguing that they were employed by the company, according to the
Guardian.
The employment tribunal agreed.
“The notion that Uber in London is a mosaic of 30,000 small businesses linked by a common ‘platform’ is to our minds faintly ridiculous,” the tribunal judges said. “Drivers do not and cannot negotiate with passengers… they are offered and accept trips strictly on Uber’s terms.”
Farrar told the
Guardian that he was disappointed by Uber’s appeal, but unsurprised.
“It means we have to fight again, but why?” he said. “It is just because they don’t want to pay the minimum wage. We are confident. Our case is rock-solid and the original judgment was emphatic.”
Jo Bertram, Uber’s UK general manager, told the
Guardian that the drivers pushing to be classified as employees are in the minority.
“Tens of thousands of people in London drive with Uber precisely because they want to be self-employed and their own boss,” Bertram said. “The overwhelming majority of drivers who use the Uber app want to keep the freedom and flexibility of being able to drive when and where they want.”
Still, more and more drivers are joining the case against Uber. Another 25 have joined the legal action that law firm Leigh Day and the GMB union are bringing against the ride-sharing service.
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