LONDON (CU)_American taxi app Uber awaits the ruling of Britain’s Supreme Court over workers’ rights, which could alter the firm’s business model in the UK.
Uber drivers are currently being treated as self-employers, meaning they are only afforded minimal protection by law. However, in the case, led by two drivers of the firm, a London employment tribunal ruled in 2016 that they are entitled to several other privileges such as minimum wage, paid holidays and rest breaks.
Therefore, the Silicon Valley-based company appealed the decision all the way up to Britain’s Supreme Court, which will provide its ruling on Friday (Feb 19).
According to Matt McDonald, a partner specialised in employment disputes at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, the Court’s verdict would take into consideration exactly how many hours these drivers worked, how much they got paid for those hours, and much more, in order to identify if and when they were paid less than the minimum wage.
Labour unions often criticise the gig economy – where people work on a job-by-job basis for one or more companies – saying it is exploitative, although businesses say it is more advantageous owing to flexibility.
Britain is one of the most important markets for Uber, with around 60,000 drivers in the country, of which 45,000 are based in London. A win for the taxi firm would be a major boost to several transportation, delivery and courier companies which use the gig economy model.
