Are uber drivers self employed or not?

[tomtomagain]

Rulings in : The drivers won.

Uber screwed.

[TestMangler]

Black hack taxis are generally run by 'association'.

Private hire, ie book and collect, like Uber and your normal 'end of a phone line' private taxi business are somewhat different. In these the rank owner owns the radio system and the car owners/drivers pay a rental for the radio to be relayed the jobs. The rank owner gives less than two f**cks who is working when and for how long as long as enough cars are active to cover customer requests. I can't see how Uber drivers can claim to be 'employed' when there is no requirement for them to work except for the 'one job a month' to keep their app active.

Edit - Just seen the ruling after posting that. That could screw every private hire taxi system in the country unless there are caveats to the ruling.

[eek]

Black hack taxis are generally run by 'association'.

Private hire, ie book and collect, like Uber and your normal 'end of a phone line' private taxi business are somewhat different. In these the rank owner owns the radio system and the car owners/drivers pay a rental for the radio to be relayed the jobs. The rank owner gives less than two f**cks who is working when and for how long as long as enough cars are active to cover customer requests. I can't see how Uber drivers can claim to be 'employed' when there is no requirement for them to work except for the 'one job a month' to keep their app active.

Edit - Just seen the ruling after posting that. That could screw every private hire taxi system in the country unless there are caveats to the ruling.

Nope it screws every private hire taxi system in the country - while also giving companies a reason to follow our advice and keep us well outside IR35...

[tomtomagain]

That could screw every private hire taxi system in the country unless there are caveats to the ruling.

I cannot see how a ruling against Uber for not providing holiday, paid breaks, sickness, cannot ( must not ) apply to every cab & delivery company in the country.

Just because you book the ride through an "app", isn't really any difference to calling the central taxi company number.

[TestMangler]

Nope it screws every private hire taxi system in the country - while also giving companies a reason to follow our advice and keep us well outside IR35...

I think it's more likely to screw the drivers. Uber will deduct more from drivers earnings than they already do to cover holiday pay and eliminate drivers who generate less than £7.20 an hour.

[vetran]

I cannot see how a ruling against Uber for not providing holiday, paid breaks, sickness, cannot ( must not ) apply to every cab & delivery company in the country.

Just because you book the ride through an "app", isn't really any difference to calling the central taxi company number.

precisely and it may cause other temporary workers to fall under the same fate. I think this will be the first volley in the war against the zero hour contract malarky.

Good for the low paid, not so good for highly paid specialists.

[TestMangler]

precisely and it may cause other temporary workers to fall under the same fate. I think this will be the first volley in the war against the zero hour contract malarky.

Good for the low paid, not so good for highly paid specialists.

Taxi drivers (Uber or not) are not on zero hours contracts, or any contract for that matter.

[original PM]

Nope it screws every private hire taxi system in the country - while also giving companies a reason to follow our advice and keep us well outside IR35...

I cannot see how a ruling against Uber for not providing holiday, paid breaks, sickness, cannot ( must not ) apply to every cab & delivery company in the country.

Just because you book the ride through an "app", isn't really any difference to calling the central taxi company number.

I think it's more likely to screw the drivers. Uber will deduct more from drivers earnings than they already do to cover holiday pay and eliminate drivers who generate less than £7.20 an hour.

precisely and it may cause other temporary workers to fall under the same fate. I think this will be the first volley in the war against the zero hour contract malarky.

Good for the low paid, not so good for highly paid specialists.

Indeed another crazy ruling - the taxi drivers I know have no interest in being employees as often they will be affiliated to a rank but also will run their own private taxi's as required so they get the best of both worlds.

All this will really do is stop drivers signing on with a rank or company and do all the work privately

which may have other connotations.

And as for the 2 drivers who bought this ruling about do you think they will now be

a) Sitting on the rank earning minimum wage?
b) Sitting at home earning fook all?

[tomtomagain]

If an Uber driver works 1 hour in the morning at 9:00am and one hour in the evening at 5pm but sits around the rest of the day waiting for rides, has he worked for 2 hours or can he book a whole day?

[GB9]

This wasn't brought by the drivers but by the unions.