PROTEST PLIGHT


UBER DRIVERS STRIKE ACROSS A NUMBER OF CITIES OVER PAY AND WORKING CONDITIONS


Bristol Uber drivers logged off the app for a 24-hour strike on Wednesday,


December 14, in


protest over pay and working conditions. Members of the ADCU held a strike outside Uber’s HQ before holding a mass drive through the streets of Bristol. Drivers travelled in a fleet of nearly 100 cars, as part of a series of national protests held across a number of other cities in the UK, including one held outside Uber’s Manchester Hub. The strike is one of the first national strikes to involve a digital picket line, and organisers urged the public not to use the app for the entire 24 hours. Drivers are striking against the company’s introduction of ‘smart pricing’ which they argue does not align with the rate of inflation, and gives them a real-term wage cut. ADCU is arguing that Uber has failed to comply with the Supreme Court and lower court rulings to pay drivers at least the minimum wage after costs for all working time from log on to log off. Instead, Uber has chosen to only pay drivers from dispatch to drop off, excluding waiting time, which leaves drivers short-changed for about 40% of their true working time. Drivers also argue the minimum wage pay does not reflect 36% fuel inflation since last year. They are demanding that fares are increased to £2.50 per mile and 20p per minute and that Uber commission be capped at 15%. “We are working 12-15 hours every day to make ends meet. Our petrol prices have risen but we are still on


PHTM JANUARY 2023


had a response from Uber. Our next target is the council, but unfortunately most of the drivers feel really insecure. “We feel that the council is with them, not with us. We need the council involved,” said Aqib. Meanwhile, on Tuesday 13


the minimum wage,” said one speaker at the strike. Drivers are also facing ongoing disputes around financial settlements during the pandemic, such as holiday pay and legal fees, as well as what they see as unfair dismissal. “We are being told that if we cancel journeys our licences will be revoked,” said Aqib Ashraf, an Uber driver who has worked at the company for over a year. “For instance, if there is a passenger in your car and they say something about you that is not true, that can get drivers logged off. It will take drivers a couple of weeks to


actually prove


themselves,” he continued. Uber drivers said they also now have to do an MoT twice, rather than once a year. Cars in the UK are only legally required to carry out an MoT once a year. “We think they are doing it for money,” said Aqib. ADCU is also concerned about Uber’s influence over government legislation, and is urging politicians to


commit to zero influence


contact with Uber until the company demonstrates full compliance with employment, transport and taxation laws. “Unfortunately we have not yet


December, hundreds of drivers had braved sub-zero temperatures and mobilised for another picket by the ADCU in Birmingham. They blocked Uber’s local headquarters chanting: “Shame on Uber! We demand justice! Stand united, fall divided!” Organisers estimated that around 2,500 drivers had logged off from the Uber app for the strike, as well as a large number of Uber users who were not using it on the day in solidarity. Beyond pay, drivers are also complaining about Uber’s unjust control of access to the app itself. The company currently claims the right to exclude any driver it likes – a very clear means to keep drivers from asserting their own rights. ADCU wants proper procedures for registration and de-registration from the platform. And the final demand is simply safety. Uber drivers currently face far too much danger on the job, and ADCU has taken-up the fight. There was also international solidarity on display as Mohammad Tipu Sultan, an organiser from the New York Taxi Drivers Alliance, had come all the way to Brum to support the strike and give his experiences from over a decade and a half of organising.


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