But the court ruled a subset of Uber drivers were “workers”,a status that does not exist in Australia but is similar to casual employees who are entitled to the minimum wage but scant job security.
Uber said it was extending the benefits almost immediately to its more than 70,000 drivers in the UK and told the BBC it did not expect customers would pay higher fares as a result.
Drivers will earn at least the minimum wage,which currently stands at £8.72 ($15.66),when they have accepted a trip and expenses,and will still be able to earn more.
Drivers will also get holiday pay equal to about 12 per cent of their earnings,paid every two weeks. And they will be enrolled in a pension plan that both they and the company will pay into.
“Australia doesn’t need to wait for the courts here to find the same thing,” said Labor’s industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke,who has called for a tribunal to give similar rights to gig economy workers here. “The government could act right now to stop the exploitation of gig workers.”
Australia’s minimum wage is much higher at $19.84 an hour and many jobs have minimum shift times,which could pose challenges to applying the ruling here because most Uber trips are much shorter than that.
An Uber spokeswoman said the company wanted to provide benefits here but did not endorse the “worker” model here.