A ruling by the London employment tribunal has meant that previously self-employed Uber taxi drivers now have the right to be classed as workers.
This means they will be entitled to holiday pay, paid rest breaks and the national minimum wage.
It is estimated that this will effect 40,000 drivers in the UK and has been described by the GMB union as a ‘monumental victory’.
It had been argued by Uber that the drivers were acting on a self-employed contractor’s basis and not that of employees.
The ruling accused Uber of “resorting in its documentation to fictions, twisted language and even brand new terminology”, adding: “The notion that Uber in London is a mosaic of 30,000 small businesses linked by a common ‘platform’ is to our mind faintly ridiculous.”
