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Uber drivers: freedom versus security
Photo: Laura Dale / dpa
The driving service broker Uber has lost an important legal battle in Great Britain in the years of struggle for the status of drivers.
Uber drivers should be treated as employees of the company and not as independent contractors, the London Supreme Court ruled on Friday.
In doing so, the court followed the decisions of previous instances against which Uber had appealed.
As employees, drivers are entitled to basic employee rights such as breaks, paid vacation or minimum wages.
A spokesman for the GMB union described the decision as an "historic victory".
One will now advocate compensation payments.
Treating drivers as independent entrepreneurs is a cornerstone of the business model of Uber and rivals like Lyft: They claim that this is the only way to operate economically.
Uber has been involved in legal disputes on the subject in various countries for years.
In California, Uber and Lyft even threatened to shut down operations last year after a law passed in the state granted drivers employee status.
The set of rules was then overturned in a referendum.
In a lobbying campaign, Uber and Lyft argued, among other things, that most drivers themselves want the freedom not to be permanently employed.
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