Gearing Up For Change?

A Supreme Court ruling brought a four-year battle with Uber to an end by determining that drivers are not self-employed, but workers. Lloyd Davey and Emily Hocken examine the wider implications of the judgment.

Uber and its drivers were not the only ones eagerly awaiting the Supreme Court's judgment in Uber BV and Others v Aslam and others, handed down last month. The finding that Uber drivers are workers, as opposed to independent contractors, and as such are entitled to a range of valuable protections including national minimum wage and holiday pay, is likely to have national and potentially global impact, forcing businesses operating within the gig economy to reconsider their business models.