Those include being paid the national minimum wage and the statutory entitlement to holiday pay.
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According to GMB, Uber does not abide by the law in relation to the pay, holiday allowance, or health and safety of its drivers.
GMB, the union which represents professional drivers, has instructed the law firm Leigh Day to take action on behalf of members driving for Uber.
Taxi medallion king, Gene Friedman, has had part of his taxi empire pushed into bankruptcy as a result of the stark competition posed by auto service apps, most notably, Uber.
Uber, as much a Marmite company as any other, claims that drivers are “partners” not “employees”, and are therefore not entitled to usually employee rights. “Operators must understand that they have an ethical and social policy that matches society’s expectations of fair and honest treatment”. “They are not seen as educated or with the same needs, aspirations and desires as the rest of the public”, said GMB’s Steve Garelick. Uber should also take responsibility for its drivers, making sure they take regular rest breaks…
An Uber spokesperson told WIRED.co.uk that Uber drivers loved “being their own boss” and that as employees drivers would lose “the personal flexibility they most value”. They contend that hurts the community and local taxi drivers. Valid concern or not, it’s unlikely that Uber’s drivers would be too pleased if the company generating their income was no longer allowed to operate.
Leigh Day hopes to lodge the claim in a London tribunal in the next couple of months.
One of Britain’s largest trade unions has said it plans legal action against the US-based taxi app Uber over pay and conditions for drivers.
In a statement released to Siliconrepublic.com, Uber pointed out that the court’s decision was “contrary to a previous ruling by the same commission, which concluded in 2012 that the driver “performed services as an independent contractor, and not as a bona fide employee”.
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“There are multiple issues, but we are concerned about quality of life”, he said, estimating that the 75,000 professional drivers operating in London had been joined by around 20,000-30,000 or so Uber drivers in recent years.
