LONDON (AP) - The Latest on the ongoing legal cases against Uber (all times local):
11:20 a.m.
The ride-hailing app Uber says it will appeal a U.K. decision that would in effect give drivers rights such as guaranteed minimum wage and holiday pay.
Tom Elvidge, the company’s acting general manager in the U.K., says that taxi and private hire drivers have been self-employed for decades, “long before our app existed.”
He says in a statement that the drivers use Uber because they value the “freedom to choose if, when and where they drive and so we intend to appeal.”
Lead claimants Yaseen Aslam and James Farrer were seeking minimum wage and paid holiday in line with U.K. employment law.
Based in San Francisco, California, Uber describes itself as a technology company that links self-employed drivers with people who need rides.
___
11:00 a.m.
Britain’s Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled that drivers of the ride-hailing service Uber are entitled to basic protections such as a guaranteed minimum wage and paid time off.
Judge Jennifer Eady dismissed an appeal Friday from the company in a closely watched decision that is expected to have broad implications for those working in the so-called gig economy, where people work job-to-job with little security and few employment rights. Such employment, often for companies that use mobile phone apps to provide everything from food delivery to health care, has surged as the Internet cuts the link between jobs and the traditional workplace.
Lead claimants Yaseen Aslam and James Farrer were seeking minimum wage and paid holiday in line with U.K. employment law. Uber had argues its drivers are independent contractors who would lose the “personal flexibility they value” if the suit is successful.
___
9:10 a.m.
Britain’s employment appeals tribunal is set to rule on whether Uber drivers are employees of the ride-hailing service, in a decision with broad implications for the so-called gig economy.
Lead claimants Yaseen Aslam and James Farrer are seeking minimum wage and paid holidays in line with U.K. employment law. Uber says its drivers are independent contractors who would lose the “personal flexibility they value” if the suit is successful.
Uber appealed after a lower tribunal ruled in favor of the drivers. Friday’s ruling will likely be appealed.
The case has implications for more than 100,000 people in Britain’s gig economy, where people work job-to-job with little security and few employment rights. Such employment has surged as smart phones and the Internet cut the link between jobs and the traditional workplace.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.