Uber to give UK drivers workers’ rights after court defeat

Uber to give UK drivers workers’ rights after court defeat

LONDON (Reuters) - In a major victory for unions, Uber's more than 70,000 British drivers will be paid the minimum wage while picking up and driving passengers as part of the ride-hailing company's agreement to grant workers' rights after it lost a groundbreaking Supreme Court case last month.

Uber Technologies Inc has pushed back against European and US labor advocates' demands for better driver compensation with some success, calling for a "third way“ of combining flexible on-demand work with more limited benefits than traditional employees receive.

The agreement in Britain classifies Uber drivers as workers who are entitled to fewer rights than those classed as employees, who are also guaranteed sick pay and parental leave. Uber in California last year pushed and won a similar compromise on drivers' status.

In a case led by two former Uber drivers, a UK employment tribunal ruled in 2016 that they were due entitlements such as paid holidays, prompting Uber to appeal all the way to Britain's top court, which ruled against it in February.

Uber said at the time it would consult with drivers whilst lawyers said it could take several months for the details of the ruling to be worked out at a further employment tribunal