The British Supreme Court ruled, Friday February 19, in a long-awaited decision, that Uber drivers could be considered as employees, thus rejecting the appeal of the American car reservation giant.
Britain’s highest court ruled against Uber, which seized it after losing twice, in 2017 and 2018, in court. Justice will therefore have ruled each time in favor of a group of about twenty Uber drivers who felt they were entitled to employee status, given the time spent connected to the application and the control exercised by the group, for example over their Evaluation.
The move means that drivers should be entitled to, for example, minimum wages or paid time off, which could upend Uber’s business model in the UK and snowball across all platforms. digital.
In addition, those who lodged the complaint will be able to turn to a court to obtain compensation. And, in theory, other drivers could then ask the courts to obtain employee status.
The decision could be a stain
The American company announced in the wake “Respect” the decision of the British Supreme Court. “We are determined to do more and we will consult with all of our active UK drivers to understand the changes they want to see”, said Jamie Heywood, Uber’s boss for Northern and Eastern Europe.
The company has ensured since the beginning of this long legal battle that the drivers are self-employed, choosing their schedules and places of work, and sometimes collaborating on several applications at the same time.
The platform, which is not profitable on a global scale, could have no other choice but to increase its prices in the United Kingdom, even if it means losing market share if its competitors are not subject to these same rules.
The move could spill over into all digital platforms in the UK that operate thanks to workers in the “Gig economy” (the economy of odd jobs). The deliverers of the meal delivery platform Deliveroo, for example, are trying before the London Court of Appeal to be able to benefit from a collective agreement.
Replicate the California proposal
For its part, Uber explains that it has changed its practices since the start of this affair: drivers can now choose when and where they drive and can have free access to health insurance, as well as to compensation for parental leave. Uber also promises now that it intends to offer more protection to its drivers, while maintaining the status of self-employed.
Managing Director Dara Khosrowshahi on Monday unveiled a series of proposals to governments and unions in Europe. The platform advocates for the creation of a fund financed by the sector that would allow drivers to access assistance and social protection, such as being paid during holidays.
Uber plans to be able to replicate in Europe what it has proposed in California but could face appeals. This American state had passed a law that was to force the platform to hire its tens of thousands of drivers in California. But voters approved in a referendum in November Uber’s solution that drivers are self-employed but receive compensation.
