Uber strike London: Why are drivers striking and how long will the boycott last?

Hundreds of Uber drivers are expected to stage protests in cities across the UK tomorrow ahead of the rideshare firm’s bumper stock market flotation this week.

Drivers in London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Glasgow who are members of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) and United Private Hire Drivers Branch (UPHD), will boycott the app.

Uber is expected to make its debut on the public market on Friday with a valuation of $91 billion (£70 billion). This will make its initial public offering (IPO) one of the largest in the history of the technology industry.

A global day of action by thousands of Uber drivers is due to take place on Wednesday in response to the public listing.

Here’s what we know about the UK protests:

Uber drivers part of the IWGB union protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, before a ruling on their employment rights.
PA Archive/PA Images

Why are Uber drivers boycotting the app?

Uber drivers are protesting against the IPO which will lead to big payouts for executives and venture capitalist investors, despite failures to resolve pay issues for drivers.

The union has said that Uber's £70 billion valuation is built on an unsustainable business model dependent on "worker exploitation, tax avoidance and regulatory arbitrage".

Uber drivers are demanding a Uber raise their fares by £2 per mile. 
PA Archive/PA Images

“Since 2016, successive judgements from the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal have all said Uber drivers are entitled to basic worker rights, such as the minimum wage and holiday pay,” IWGB said in a statement.

Uber has maintained that its drivers are self-employed.

Analysis by UPHD has shown that Uber drivers currently earn on average £5 per hour and work as much as 30 hours per week before breaking even.

What are the drivers' demands?

Drivers in the UK are demanding fares be increased to £2 per mile and commissions paid by drivers to Uber are reduced from 25 percent to 15 percent.

They are also calling for an end to unfair dismissals and for Uber to respect the rulings the 2016 ruling of the Employment Tribunal confirming 'worker' status for drivers

Chair of UPHD James Farrar said: "Uber's flotation is shaping up to be an unprecedented international orgy of greed as investors cash in on one of the most abusive business models ever to emerge from Silicon Valley.

“It is the drivers who have created this extraordinary wealth but they continue to be denied even the most basic workplace rights.

“We call on the public not to cross the digital picket line on 8 May but to stand in solidarity with impoverished drivers across the world who have made Uber so successful."

Protesters will make a stand outside Uber offices in four major UK cities.
EPA

Where will the protests take place?

The nine hour boycott will start at 7am on Wednesday outside Uber offices in four major UK cities.

Drivers will protest outside the Uber UK head office in Aldgate Tower, east London, as well as outside their offices on 100 Broad Street in Birmingham, King Edward Court in Nottingham, and 69 Buchanan Street in Glasgow.

What does Uber say?

An Uber spokeswoman has said the company will continue to improve the experience of drivers.

"Drivers are at the heart of our service - we can’t succeed without them - and thousands of people come into work at Uber every day focused on how to make their experience better, on and off the road," she said in a statement.

"Whether it’s being able to track your earnings or stronger insurance protections, we’ll continue working to improve the experience for and with drivers.”

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