After a lost appeal, the company Uber argues before the Supreme Court so that its drivers are recognized as self-employed.
The company has ensured since the start of this long legal battle that the drivers are self-employed, choosing their schedules and places of work.
Keystone
The American chauffeur-driven car reservation giant Uber is contesting from this Tuesday before the British Supreme Court the recognition of the employee status granted to its drivers by previous court decisions in the United Kingdom.
A pending decision
The hearings will take place over two days by videoconference, but the judges are not expected to render their decision until later in the year. Uber had seized the highest authority of British justice after losing an appeal in late 2018, following a previous defeat of the American company at first instance in November 2017.
Employee status gives Uber drivers the right to a minimum hourly wage and paid time off. But until now, they are paid on the run.
Claimed independence
The company, for its part, has assured since the beginning of this long legal battle that the drivers are self-employed, choosing their schedules and places of work. “The vast majority of our drivers want to be self-employed and over the years we have made significant changes to our app to offer more assistance with full flexibility,” says Jamie Heywood, Uber manager for Northern Europe and from the east, in a statement sent to AFP on Tuesday.
He explains that drivers can choose when and where they drive and can have free access to health insurance offered by the French Axa, as well as compensation for parental leave.
“Drivers should be recognized”
According to the Leigh Day law firm, hired by the GMB union to represent the drivers, the latter will be able to claim compensation if Uber loses in the Supreme Court.
“We think it is obvious, considering how Uber operates, that its drivers should be recognized as employees, whether it is because of the level of control to which they are subject or the system of evaluation of their performance”, emphasizes Nigel Mackay, at Leigh Day. According to him, “Uber will soon know the end of the road in its fight against workers’ rights.”
London denounces the flaws
The American company will not be done with its court cases in the United Kingdom since it appealed against the decision taken last November by the city of London to suspend its license to practice in the capital. The London authorities had estimated that loopholes in the computer system allowed thousands of unlicensed drivers to pick up passengers fraudulently.
The platform continues to operate normally in London until a final decision is made. The appeal will be considered in September.
(ATS / NXP)
–
