Lessons To Be Learned From Uber And Deliveroo

Aslam and others v. Uber BV and others

Hot on the heels of the article in our last newsletter on Addison Lee and the "gig economy", on Friday 11 November 2017, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) confirmed an employment tribunal's decision that Uber drivers should be classified as "workers" and are not self-employed. This is now the most high-profile case on the employment status of the so-called "gig economy" workforce. The full judgment can be found here.

Most of our readers will be familiar with this case. Two Uber drivers brought a claim for unlawful deductions from wages and a failure to provide paid leave. The drivers successfully persuaded an Employment Tribunal that they were workers and should be protected under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA). Uber argued that they were self-employed and were not entitled to these protections.