London: A British panel ruled Friday that Uber drivers are workers with labour rights like paid time off, in a decision with broad implications for the so-called gig economy. The ride-hailing service immediately announced plans to appeal. Employment lawyers expect the case will be heard by the Supreme Court next year.
Claimants Yaseen Aslam and James Farrer sought minimum wage and paid holidays in line with UK employment law. Uber argued its drivers are independent contractors who would lose the “personal flexibility they value” if the suit was successful.
Friday’s ruling by the British employment appeals tribunal came after San Francisco-based Uber appealed a previous ruling in favour of the drivers. Though Uber argued that the case applies to only two drivers, it could affect as many as 40,000 Uber drivers in the UK who would argue they faced the same terms.
It also has implications for more than 100,000 independent contractors in Britain's so-called gig economy, where people work job-to-job with little security and few employment rights. Such employment, often for companies that use mobile phone apps to provide everything from food delivery to health care, has surged as the Internet cuts the link between jobs and the traditional workplace. The case is just one of many focused on the rights of British workers in both the new and old economies — from Deliveroo food delivery drivers to foster carers and plumbers.
