The Gig Economy and UK Worker Rights

The rights of workers in the so called “gig economy” have been a topic of significant importance in recent years due to the rapid expansion of this business model.

In a highly anticipated judgment in the case of Uber BV and others v Aslam and others [2017], the Employment Appeal Tribunal upheld a finding that Uber drivers were workers and not self-employed individuals. However, this judgment was quickly followed by the decision in Independent Workers Union of Great Britain v RooFoods Ltd T/A Deliveroo [2016] in which the Central Arbitration Committee found that Deliveroo riders were not workers in the context of an application for union recognition. In this memorandum, we briefly explore each of these decisions.