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23.05.2018

Has Uber scored an own goal?

Uber has announced that it will provide its European drivers with new protections including sick pay, parental leave and bereavement benefits. These will be available as part of an insurance and compensation package.

It makes me wonder what implications this will have for Uber's fight in the courts over the status of their drivers.  An employment  tribunal ruled in October 2016 that Uber drivers were workers, rather than being self-employed and so were entitled to holiday pay, the national minimum wage and rest breaks.

Uber lost an appeal in November 2017 and its appeal to the Court of Appeal will be heard on 30 October 2018.

Some commentators see this move by Uber as a PR move to bolster its public image.  However, has Uber scored an own goal by creating a situation where the drivers appear to be even more like workers?  

James Farrar, chair of the United Private Hire Drivers branch of the IWGB union, told the BBC: "This is not nearly enough. We have statutory rights under the law. What Uber has given us are cosmetic benefits that can be taken away at any time."”