Legal setback for Deliveroo workers

Submitted by AWL on 29 June, 2021 - 4:08 Author: Darren Bedford
Deliveroo workers' protest

Deliveroo couriers in the Independent Workers’ union of Great Britain (IWGB) have been knocked back for the fourth time in their legal challenge aimed at forcing Deliveroo to recognise couriers as “Limb B workers” — a legal category distinct from both salaried workers (“employees”) and self-employed contractors, which Deliveroo insists its couriers are.

Limb B workers are self-employed and work flexibly, but do not set their own rates of pay in the way a self-employed tradesperson might. Had the IWGB’s case been successful, Deliveroo would have been forced to increase courier wages and guarantee certain rights.

The recent ruling against Uber in the Supreme Court, which determined that its drivers were Limb B workers, was not considered in the Deliveroo case, due to legal technicalities (i.e., the Uber ruling coming after the initial hearing in the Deliveroo case). An IWGB statement said: “The most important thing to remember is that our battles are not just fought in the courts, but on the streets as well”.

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