Uber set to face hundreds of new employment claims

Last week's landmark decision by a London employment tribunal to class Uber drivers as employees has opened the company up to hundreds of claims for back-pay and missing wages.

Lawyers representing the two former drivers which brought the case agianst Uber, have said they have been approached by various other drivers with a view to taking up court cases.

Uber is expected to appeal last week's decision, which made the distinction due to various conditions which indicated their status as employees, and as a result allows them to numerous entitlements such as holiday pay and paid breaks.

Annie Powell of Leigh Day solicitors told The Guardian that Uber may have to pay out a significant amount in compensation claims.

"We have received hundreds of inquiries from Uber drivers who are unhappy with their working conditions and are interested in bringing a claim for back pay of holiday pay and back pay of the national minimum wage," Powell said.

The initial claim was carried out by 19 drivers, of which Yasseen Aslam and James Farrar were selected to provide the best case for future reference.

"We will lodge further employment tribunal claims with the support of the GMB union," added Powell. "It will be exactly the same claim as for the first 19 drivers and we will argue they should be workers rather than self-employed and so should be entitled to workers' rights."

Uber has said it is going to continue its business as it had been, continuing "to support the overwhelming majority of drivers who tell us that they use the Uber app to be their own boss".