On Monday 22 March food couriers working for UberEats struck in Plymouth, demanding higher pay. At the time of going to press, UberEats drivers in Sheffield are discussing taking action, too. For all that Uber is trying to turn the screws on its food delivery workers and cheat its taxi workers, recent developments in the courts have opened a door for workers to make big gains.
A ruling by the UK Supreme Court earlier this year stated that Uber taxi workers (though not yet UberEats workers) should be classed as “dependent contractors”, i.e. a type of worker, also known as a “limb (b) worker”. This means that Uber owes these workers sick pay, holiday pay, pension contributions, protection from discrimination and the national minimum wage, i.e. £8.72/hour for over-25s.
But there’s a catch: Uber is only paying for the time that a customer is in the car. Entitlements to minimum wage and other benefits only accrue during the time spent transporting a passenger. In other words, the lion’s share of most drivers’ shifts, the time spent waiting for a job, or waiting for a tardy passenger, will go un-remunerated.
To really get the rights afforded them by the courts, and more, Uber taxi drivers need organisation.