Written By:
Mike Smith - Date published:
2:24 pm, March 19th, 2024 - 3 comments
Categories: class, discrimination, employment, human rights, jobs, law, Unions, wages, workers' rights -
Tags:
Uber Drivers are in the Court of Appeal today. Uber is appealing against Employment Court decision they they are employees with worker rights. Its a no-brainer, so they are and should have them.
John Campbell covered the issues well in this 1News story last year. Drivers are hopeful the Appeal Court will uphold the previous decision. From Scoop:
“Drivers are fighting for the same rights the rest of us take for granted – minimum wage, sick leave, holiday pay and collective bargaining,” said Anita Rosentreter, FIRST Union strategic project coordinator.
“The Court’s finding that Uber drivers were being wrongfully denied employment rights and protections had huge implications, not just in the so-called ‘gig economy’, but for tens of thousands of workers facing exploitation as misclassified contractors and being denied basic rights by employers.”
“Uber has made a global practice of exploiting lax local labour laws and enforcement that were unprepared for their cavalier arrival into the market, and they are keen to maintain the practice of misclassification that underlies their business model – hence this appeal.”
“Uber drivers earn less than minimum wage, and despite the promises of flexibility and freedom, many tell us that they have no control over their working hours and have to spend significant unpaid time and personal money on the basics required to do the job, like the car, fuel, maintenance, insurance and so on.”
“The Government will also be watching the appeal with interest – they are so keen to shut down a person’s right to test their employment status in the Employment Court that they say they intend to change the law to stop this legal right in future.”
“We have to stand up for our country’s legal sovereignty, our shared history of industrial struggles, and our right to challenge predatory multinationals like Uber who have no regard for workers’ wellbeing or our country’s.”
First Union Uber driver members held a rally outside the Court of Appeal today.
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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Proud to see this as an ex member and exec member of various precursor unions to First such as Northern Storeworkers and National Distribution Union.
Working class is still working class no matter the artificial divisions that the architects of precarious employment try to enforce. Well done First.
This will be watched internationally.
Bezos and Musk are trying to intimidate what little US state support exists for those trying to unionise at Amazon, Tesla and Starbucks. Immensely powerful moneybags that should be first up against the wall–or at least exiled for life to Richard Branson’s island on a generous monthly stipend of the US $7.50 min wage.
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/jeff-bezos-and-elon-musk-vs-american
Australian taxi drivers win $AU272 million against Uber …
… and to show it can be done, and you can win big, Australian taxi drivers successfully took on Uber and won. Mostly for being unregulated passenger drivers whereas taxi drivers are all required to obtain a specific set of approvals and be subject to all kinds of checks and balances and regulations.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/18/uber-taxi-settlement-compensation-australia-272m-lawsuit
I;d like to see the taxi federation call out NZTA to sign on as a legal party to the New Zealand taxi court proceedings. NZTA have plenty to lose if Uber wins in this case.
It is likely there will be law changes to reverse the decision if it is upheld by the Court of Appeal.