- Despite Supreme Court ruling, hundreds of thousands of
drivers denied legal rights says GMB and Uber
GMB Union and Uber today committed to end the exploitation of
more than 200,000 drivers who use ride hailing apps.
Today marked the first meeting between Gary Smith, GMB General
Secretary, and Uber’s Jamie Heywood, following the
ground-breaking trade union recognition deal. [1]
Under the deal – struck in May - Uber will formally recognise
GMB, which will now be able to represent up to 70,000 Uber
drivers across the UK.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court determined Uber drivers are
not self-employed, but are workers entitled to workers’ rights
including holiday pay, a guaranteed minimum wage and an
entitlement to breaks. [2]
But with more than 300,000 drivers working in the ride-hailing
and the PHV industry, an estimated 230,000 are still not
receiving their legal rights from companies like Bolt and Addison
Lee.
GMB and Uber today pledged to end this exploitation.
Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary, said:
“The ground-breaking deal between GMB and Uber was the first step
towards a fairer working life for millions of people.
“It showed that when companies and trade unions work together,
standards can be raised across these industries.
“Earlier this year the Supreme Court set a precedent for all ride
hailing apps to provide drivers with worker rights such as
holiday pay and a pension.
“Uber has done this for its 70,000 drivers, but there are more
than 200,000 more working for other operators still denied these
basic legal rights.
“GMB and Uber today take the next step in our commitment to
ending the exploitation of hundreds of thousands of ride-hailing
app drivers.”
Jamie Heywood, Regional General Manager for Northern and
Eastern Europe, Uber said:
“The historic agreement with GMB ensured that Uber was the first
in the industry to ensure all of its drivers have full union
representation, as well as a pension and holiday pay.
“We may not seem like obvious allies, but together we made
history by striking a recognition agreement to improve workers’
protections and, crucially, give drivers a stronger say in how
Uber operates.
“We hope that working constructively with GMB will show the rest
of the industry what can be achieved, ensuring that all drivers,
no matter who they work with, receive the rights and protections
they are entitled to.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
[1] https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/uber-and-gmb-strike-historic-union-deal-70000-uk-drivers
