After UK Supreme Court defeat, ITF calls on Uber to abandon its business model and recognise workers globally

In welcoming this morning's landmark decision, Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) called on Uber to emerge from behind their app and extend protections to its drivers and riders globally. In welcoming this morning's landmark decision,Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) called on Uber to emerge from behind their app and extend protections to its drivers and riders globally. "We...

In welcoming this morning's landmark decision, Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) called on Uber to emerge from behind their app and extend protections to its drivers and riders globally.

"We congratulate the claimants, their representatives and legal teams. This is a victory for all workers fighting for decent work in the gig economy," said Cotton. "For the fourth and final time, British judges have ignored Uber's twisted and fictional contract language and concluded that the company is misclassifying its drivers."

Today's ruling arrives almost one year after France's highest court ruled that Uber drivers are employees.

"Despite attempts by Uber and other gig economy companies to misclassify their workers as independent contractors, courts are increasingly recognising direct employment relationships. The tide is turning," said Cotton.

"It's time for Uber to abandon both its predatory business model and its aggressive legal and regulatory strategies and recognise their drivers and riders as workers with protections and rights that they are entitled to," added Cotton.

For Uber drivers, today's decision means that they can finally enjoy fundamental workers' rights including the national minimum wage, holiday pay, sick pay, protection against unlawful discrimination and collective bargaining rights.

"We call on Uber to listen to its workers and to sit down with trade unions and engage in meaningful dialogue that ensures that the future of the gig-economy benefits everyone," said Cotton.

The Supreme Court judgment emphasised five aspects which led to the Court's conclusion on worker status:

About the ITF

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a democratic global union federation of nearly 700 transport workers' trade unions representing around 20 million workers in 150 countries. The ITF works to improve the lives of transport workers globally, encouraging and organising international solidarity among its network of affiliates. The ITF represents the interests of transport workers' unions in bodies that take decisions affecting jobs, employment conditions and safety in the transport industry.