Uber drivers add to travel chaos after union calls for strike
Uber drivers have today joined the wave of industrial action bringing the country to a standstill after the App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) called for a 24-hour national strike until midnight tonight.
The union for private hire drivers and couriers said today that Uber must obey a Supreme Court ruling and pay all working time to drivers including standby time, as well as hike pay from £1.06 per mile to £2.50 per mile, or risk strike action.
Abdurzak Hadi, ADCU London Chair said that Uber drivers have “never been worse off than they are right now”.
“Drivers have been exposed to hyperinflation while Uber refuses to either obey the Supreme Court ruling which protects workers or raise fares and pay to offset inflation of their operating costs,” he said.
“This is beyond greed, Uber has placed its workforce in very dangerous circumstances and the result is driver over work, declining mental health and families in great distress.”
He called on the government to “urgently intervene to enforce the law against what is an increasingly out of control company”.
The union has called on Uber to comply with the Supreme Court ruling and pay drivers at least the minimum wage and holiday pay for all working time from log on to log off, as well as hike fares to £2.50 per mile and £0.20 per minute.
The strikes threaten to add to the travel chaos caused around the UK by widespread rail strikes this week, after rail unions staged a walkout yesterday. Further strikes are expected by rail workers tomorrow.
An Uber spokesperson told Morning Wire: “The ADCU represents a tiny proportion of active drivers on Uber. For over a year now, GMB Union has served as the voice of drivers in the UK following our historic recognition agreement which helped secure new worker protections including holiday pay and access to a pension plan.”
“We do not expect any significant impact or disruption to our service”