Uber Drivers Aren’t Self Employed, U.K. Tribunal Rules<br />The decision, which affirmed a ruling made last year, means<br />that Uber will have to ensure its drivers in Britain are paid a minimum wage and entitled to time off, casting doubt on a common hiring model in the so-called gig economy that relies on workers who do not have a formal contract as permanent employees.<br />In the case before the employment tribunal on Friday, two Uber drivers, James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam, had challenged the company on behalf of a group of 19 drivers, saying<br />that the service had denied them basic protections by classifying them as self-employed.<br />In a statement made after the ruling, Uber’s acting head in Britain, Tom Elvidge, said the<br />company would appeal the decision to the Court of Appeal or to Britain’s Supreme Court.<br />LONDON — Uber suffered another blow on Friday to its operations in its biggest market outside the United States<br />when an employment tribunal in London rejected the company’s argument that its drivers were self employed.<br />Though the service has expanded at a breakneck pace and grown into a behemoth valued at $70 billion, it has grappled allegations<br />that it does not do enough to vet its drivers and revelations that it used software to evade the gaze of the authorities, among other issues.<br />“The impact of this ruling could affect thousands of drivers, and not just drivers but millions of workers across the U. K.”<br />“It just means we can’t be exploited,” he added.<br />Companies argue that such a system increases the flexibility for both workers and employers in the modern economy,<br />but critics say it is exploitative and deprives employees of key benefits like unemployment insurance.
