Uber, the U.S.-based online car platform, will give more than 70,000 drivers in the U.K. guaranteed minimum wage and other labor benefits from Wednesday (17), the first of its kind in the world.
In a lawsuit led by two former Uber drivers in the U.K. in 2016, the U.K. Labour Tribunal ruled that Uber drivers should not be considered self-employed, but should be classified as “workers” under U.K. law and entitled to certain benefits. Under U.K. law, “worker” has less strict work terms than “employee,” and employees are more entitled to sick leave and maternity leave than workers.
After losing the case, Uber lost two appeals and eventually appealed to the Supreme Court, which rejected the appeal last month. By Tuesday (16), Uber announced that since Wednesday, its UK drivers over the age of 25 will enjoy benefits such as £8.72 (about HK$94) minimum wage, paid leave and pension.
However, Uber is likely to face legal disputes after implementing the new policy because Uber only promises minimum wage protection after the UK driver has taken an order, not when the driver is logged into the program and ready to take an order, as the union demands.
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