Uber—UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled Uber drivers are workers entitled to minimum wage and paid holidays
On February 19, 2021, the UK Supreme Court unanimously upheld in Uber BV v Aslam that Uber drivers are 'workers' under employment law, not self-employed contractors. The ruling entitled approximately 60,000 UK Uber drivers to national living wage, paid holidays, and other worker protections from the moment they log into the app. The court cited five factors including Uber's control over fares, driver autonomy restrictions, the ratings-based penalty system, and restrictions on driver-passenger communication. Uber had fought the ruling through every level of the court system since 2016.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gig Worker Rights | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Worker Rights | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.295 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.59)× agency (compelled ×0.25)
Evidence (1 signal)
UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled Uber drivers are workers in landmark Uber BV v Aslam decision
On February 19, 2021, the UK Supreme Court unanimously held that Uber drivers are 'workers' entitled to national living wage, paid holidays, and other protections. The decision affected approximately 60,000 UK Uber drivers and cited five factors demonstrating Uber's control over drivers including fare-setting, the ratings penalty system, and restrictions on driver-passenger communication.