© Reuters
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The drivers of the Uber platform are employees of the company, not its business partners, who have more rights to protect their work under local law, a court in the Netherlands ruled today. This is a temporary defeat for the American company, which is trying to introduce its special business model in Europe, Reuters commented.
It is also a victory for the unions fighting for better pay and social security for those employed in the economic model for hiring employees not as full-time employees, but as independent contractors or freelancers. A decision similar to the one in the Netherlands was taken earlier this year in the United Kingdom.
The Amsterdam District Court took the side of the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions in the dispute. Their representatives claimed that nearly 4,000 Uber drivers in the city are employees of taxi companies and should receive social bonuses and insurance like everyone else in the sector.
The company announced after the court decision that it would appeal it and that “we have no plans to hire drivers in the Netherlands.”
“We are disappointed with this decision because we know that the vast majority of drivers want to remain independent. They do not want to give up their freedom to choose whether, when and where to work,” said Maurits Schoenfeld, Uber’s general manager for Northern Europe. quoted by Reuters.
According to the judges, the passengers who call them through the Uber mobile application are covered by the requirement for collective bargaining in transport fees. “The legal relationship between Uber and these drivers meets all the characteristics of a contract of employment,” the decision said.
The union commented that now “all Uber drivers are automatically hired by the company. As a result, they will receive higher salaries and more rights in the event of dismissal or illness, for example,” said one of the vice presidents. of the federation.
The court also ruled that in some cases Uber owed drivers payments. The fine for non-fulfillment by the company of the contract for collective bargaining in the taxi sector is 50 thousand euros.
Uber also has problems at home in the United States, where the Supreme Court in May rejected the company’s request to avoid a lawsuit over whether the drivers are employees or independent contractors.
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