Uber is accused of using "fake questions" in a survey it sent to drivers after a court ruling ruled that the company must offer employees better working conditions.
The company could have to pay more than £100m in compensation to 10,000 drivers after the UK's highest court ruled last week that they are entitled to holiday pay and the national minimum wage. Uber has previously argued that its 60,000 drivers in the UK are self-employed with limited employment rights.
A questionnaire, sent through Uber's driver app after the decision, offers a limited range of answers to questions about benefits and flexible working without mentioning holiday pay or the national minimum wage.
Steve Garelick, a regional organiser for the GMB union, said: “These questions are very pretentious and are aimed at the company getting the answers it needs.”
He said the way the questions were asked Uber could be hoping to pressure the government for a change in the rules to fit its existing working practices rather than changing its practices to fit the rules.
James Farrar, one of the lead plaintiffs in the high court case and general secretary of the App and Courier Drivers Association, said: “The investigation into drivers is a crude attempt by Uber to distract from its obligation to comply with the high court’s decision and immediately implement statutory worker protections for all its drivers. Instead, Uber is creating a cruelly manipulated false choice between fairness and flexibility by loading the investigation with bias and pretentious questions.”
Nigel Mackay, a partner at law firm Leigh Day, is representing more than 1,000 drivers seeking compensation for lost holiday pay following the high court ruling.
An Uber spokesperson said: “We are currently reviewing the details and listening to all active drivers to help us shape the future of flexible working. We will share the findings of this process in the coming weeks.”
Mackay said that individuals ' views on the benefits did not matter as the rules were enshrined in law and the research appeared to be exposed for public relations purposes.
Source of information: theguardian.com
