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These changes could have an enormous impact on the lives of the company's 40,000 drivers.
Ottawa (31 Jan. 2019) — In 2016, a UK employment court passed down the decision that Uber drivers are actually employees rather than self-employed contractors to the service.
Uber told its employees are eligible for increased wages and benefiits
In its ruling, the London court oulined a number of rights that employees should receive, to start with, the minimum wage and holiday pay. There would likely be other employee rights available to the workers, as well. These changes could have an enormous impact on the lives of the company's 40,000 drivers.
But, like many companies finding a judgment against them, Uber headed back to court to appeal the decision.
Now, the UK Court of Appeal has released its decision on the relationship status of Uber drivers: they are considered to be employees.
As reported in the Guardian, "the judges found there was a 'high degree of fiction' in the wording of the standard agreement between Uber and its drivers," which severely limits the 'self-employed contractors' employment rights.
The judgement itself said: "For [Uber] to be stating to its statutory regular that it is operating a private hire vehicle services in London and is a fit and proper person to do so, while at the same time arguing in this litigation that it is merely an affiliate of a Dutch-registered company which licenses tens of thousands of proprietors of small businesses to use its software, contributes to the air of contrivance and artificiality which pervades Uber's case."
Again, Uber has committed to challenging this ruling at the Supreme Court.