Uber UK reclassifies 70.000 drivers into workers

Following the UK Supreme Court ruling regarding the employment status of a group of Uber drivers, which decided that they should be classified as workers and not as independent contractors, the platform recently decided to reclassify its 70,000 drivers as workers. As a result of this decision, drivers will be entitled to a minimum wage, vacation time, and a pension. The Supreme Court considered that, in casu, the activities of the uber drivers were very tightly defined and controlled by the platform.

Beyond the fact that this decision could have a major impact on other gig economy players operating in the UK, this is yet another development in the tumultuous evolution of the workers status in the gig economy. Want to know more? The Employment Law team of PwC Legal Belgium publishes an update on the status of workers in the gig economy in over more than 10 European countries on a yearly basis. While waiting for its 2021 update (coming soon), we invite you to consult our last report published in June 2020.