Uber loses court appeal against drivers’ rights

UBER has lost an appeal against a ruling to give better employment rights to its drivers.

The decision by the Employment Appeal Tribunal was a ‘landmark victory’ for workers’ rights, unions said.

Two drivers, James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam, won a tribunal case last year after arguing that they were ‘workers’ – not self-employed – and thus entitled to the minimum wage, sick pay and paid leave.

Uber lost its challenge, but immediately announced it will appeal again, saying almost all taxi and private hire drivers have been self- employed for decades before its app existed.

Mr Farrar, 49, said: ‘We can’t give up because the case law is so important now that if we give up and give this victory to Uber, then the battle will be so much harder for everybody else that comes after us … everywhere you turn in Britain you’ll have people under this sort of fake self-employed conditions, carrying all the risk of the business and [with] no worker rights. This is a line in the sand.’

Mr Aslam said: ‘It’s wrong for Uber to drag people like myself through these courts … If they want to make things right, just obey the laws.’ Tom Elvidge, the taxi firm’s acting general manager, said: ‘The main reason why drivers use Uber is because they value the freedom to choose if, when and where they drive, and so we intend to appeal.

‘The tribunal relies on the assertion that drivers are required to take 80 per cent of trips sent to them … this has never been the case in the UK. Over the last year we have made a number of changes to our app to give drivers even more control. We’ve also invested in things like access to illness and injury cover and we’ll keep introducing changes to make driving with Uber even better.’

Maria Ludkin of the GMB union, which took the initial tribunal case, said: ‘Uber must now face up to its responsibilities … GMB urges the company not to waste everyone’s time and money dragging their lost cause to the Supreme Court.’

The TUC’s Frances O’Grady said: ‘Uber should throw in the towel and accept today’s judgment. No company … is above the law.’

Jason Moyer-Lee of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, which represented the two drivers, said companies were ‘ making a mockery of supposed employment rights’ and called on the Government to ‘ properly enforce the law’.

‘Don’t waste everyone’s time’